Turkey warns Libya’s Haftar and supporters against attacking its forces

Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, center, and other top Turkish military commanders, right, greet Libyan commanders, at airport, in Tripoli, Libya, Saturday, Dec, 26, 2020. (AP)

• Turkey is the main foreign backer of Libya’s internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli

ANKARA: Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar warned on Sunday that the forces of Khalifa Haftar and their supporters based in eastern Libya would be viewed as “legitimate targets” if they attempted to attack Turkish forces in the region.
Speaking during a visit to Turkish troops in Tripoli, Akar said Haftar’s forces and his supporters would have “nowhere to run” if they attacked Turkish forces, adding they would become targets for Ankara “everywhere.”
Turkey is the main foreign backer of Libya’s internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli, which for years has been fighting Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA).
In October, the GNA and LNA signed a cease-fire agreement and the United Nations has been pushing a political dialogue aimed at elections next year as a solution.