Turkey mulling sending allied militants from Syria to Libya: Report

Turkey is reportedly considering sending militants from an allied, anti-government militia group in Syria to Libya as part of planned military support for the government in Tripoli.

According to reports, two senior Turkish government officials speaking on the condition of anonymity on Monday said that Ankara planned to send militants from the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) to Libya but that it had not yet deployed any.

“Evaluations are being made and meetings are being held on this issue, and there is a tendency to go in this direction,” said one source, adding that no decision had been made on numbers yet.

On October 9, Turkish army forces and the militants of the FSA launched a cross-border offensive into northeastern Syria in a declared attempt to clear Kurdish militants from near the Turkish border.

It was unclear whether Ankara was mulling sending Syrian militants as part of a first deployment into Libya.

Turkey supports Libya’s internationally-recognized government in Tripoli, which has been under assault by Haftar’s forces trying to seize the capital for nine months, while the LNA receives support from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

The LNA has also previously seized a Turkish vessel, although it has released it afterwards.

SS