The spokesperson of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Major General Ahmed Al-Mismari, said that Turkey has not yet announced the acceptance of a ceasefire or any lull which would give an opportunity to political efforts meant to activate the initiatives aimed at resolving the crisis, the latest of which is the Cairo Declaration.
In statements to “Al-Ittihad” newspaper on Sunday, Al-Mismari indicated that the recent Turkish messages about Libya are all negative, and carry a clear threat to the international community that it is continuing its project to control Libya by force of weapons and to plunder the resources of the Libyan people.
He pointed out that the LNA monitored the movements of the Turkish militias in Misrata, Al-Watiya base and Tripoli, stressing that Turkey was looking to support its control centres in Libya, especially the airbases it has under control, in particular, the Al-Watiya airbase west of Tripoli, the Misrata Air College and Misrata’s ports, as well as Tripoli and Zuwara.
He also noted that these airbases and ports include thousands of mercenaries and equipment that were recently transported and have received extensive training in Syria and southern Turkey. The LNA spokesman also pointed out that Ankara has moved mercenaries from Somalia, which confirms that Erdogan is working to diversify the origins of mercenaries sent to Libya.
Al-Mismari warned against Turkey’s attempts, headed by Erdogan, to penetrate into Niger to gain access into Libya from neighbouring countries. He added that Ankara had transferred a large number of foreign mercenaries to Tripoli, which reflects Erdogan’s lack of confidence in the capital’s militias and his purely colonial goals in Libya, in addition to his intentions to coup against those who fought with him in the battle of Tripoli.
“We expect at any time that Erdogan will declare the western region in Libya entirely under Turkey’s control, which is a very big threat to the unity and sovereignty of the Libyan state,” the LNA spokesperson concluded.