Erdogan Threats the Libyan National Army
Head of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Marshal Khalifa
Haftar announced Saturday waging war against Turkish assets on Libyan
territories, speaking of a “brutal Turkish invasion” on his country.
In an official response to Haftar’s threats, Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that his country will take
“necessary measures.”
In a press conference on the sidelines of G20 Summit in
Osaka, Japan, Erdogan said he hasn’t heard about this decision.
“If there is an order like this from Haftar, my colleagues
will study (it). We have already taken the necessary measures regarding this
anyway, and after this, we will take much more different measures,” he said.
Haftar ordered on Friday strikes against Turkish ships
anchored in Libya’s territorial waters in retaliation to Ankara’s flagrant
offensive.
Benghazi’s Benina Airport, which is under Haftar forces’
control, canceled all flights to and from Turkey’s Istanbul, demanding
passengers there to cancel their Istanbul-Benghazi tickets and book another Istanbul-Damascus-Benghazi
ticket.
Eastern Libyan forces loyal to Haftar will ban any
commercial flights from Libya to Turkey and Turkish ships from docking in the
country, LNA Spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said.
Any aircraft arriving from Turkey attempting to land in the
capital Tripoli would be treated as hostile, said Mismari, adding that the same
would apply to Turkish ships docking at Libyan ports.
“Turkish strategic sites, companies and projects belonging
to the Turkish state (in Libya) are considered legitimate targets by the armed
forces,” he noted.
However, Fayez al-Sarraj’s UN-recognized Government of
National Accord (GNA) said, in return, that it will continue to deal with
Turkey.
Undersecretary of the Tripoli-based GNA’s Ministry of
Transport said air traffic from Misrata and Mitiga to Turkey “will not be
affected by LNA’s threats.”
Meanwhile, Mismari said his forces had lost 43 soldiers in
the battle over the town of Gharyan, which was taken by GNA forces on
Wednesday.
Mesmari accused Ankara of “directly” helping GNA forces
“with its soldiers, planes and ships.”
The LNA, which holds eastern Libya and much of the country's
south, seized Gharyan two days before launching its offensive on Tripoli in early
April.
