Libya News and Interests

[dukkha]

United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Faiez Serraj-led Tripoli-based Government of Libya, through its Ministry of Planning, signed a Memorandum of Intent (MOI) for enhancing their partnership on Thursday.

The U.S. says the MOI is based on the shared values of strengthening the foundations of a unified Libyan state by supporting Libyan institutions and communities to advance national stability and self-reliance.

It says the MOI provides the broad framework for cooperation with the Government of Libya on USAID assistance on strengthening governance institutions; increasing opportunities for economic participation and growth; and enhancing Libya’s ability to address instability and conflict. The MOI also lays the foundation for which both governments can explore areas for further cooperation.

The U.S. says USAID has provided humanitarian, stabilization and development assistance in Libya since 2011.

 

[dukkha]

Gunmen raid cafes in Libya capital to curb social freedoms
https://www.yahoo.com/news/gunmen-raid-cafes-libya-capital-161039698.html

Gunmen raided two trendy seafront cafes in the Libyan capital Tripoli this month to banish unmarried couples and impose strict religious codes, witnesses said, in a move that has alarmed civil liberties defenders.

The identity of the armed men has not been confirmed, but the episode appears to reflect the rise of Islamist currents, including hardline Salafism, in some of the powerful armed groups that the authorities rely on to keep order.

The raids, the latest of several incidents in eastern and western Libya to worry human rights advocates, add a fresh layer of uncertainty to a city under assault by an eastern-based force that aims to win power nationally.

Both cafes targeted are in the upscale Hay Andalus neighborhood, just west of central Tripoli.

At one, Eleanor, "a group of armed men stormed the cafe with their guns and started questioning the men, to see if they were accompanied by a woman who was a close relative, or by a friend," on Oct. 6, a witness said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Men who were sitting with (female) friends were taken out of the cafe by the armed group ... they took them into their vehicles for a couple of minutes then released them," the witness said. "The men came in again to pay the bills and left."

At another cafe on the same seafront stretch, more than 30 masked, armed men in military uniform swept in one morning earlier this month, said a witness.

The armed men asked to see marriage certificates, telling women they had to be accompanied by their husband or a brother. "I was very scared," the witness said. "After five minutes the cafe was empty. Even the men left."

The gunmen said they wanted the family section of the cafe - designed for women and their relatives but also frequented by some single women and couples - shut down.

BACKLASH

"They said the next time, if we find something like this, we're going to close it," said the witness.

At least two other cafes nearby put messages on Facebook saying they would no longer admit unmarried couples or single men, despite there being no law against such mixing in Libya.

 

[dukkha]

pimped-up and cammo AK with the LNA in Salah al-Din Gate, south of Tripoli

 

[dukkha]

MoI (UNICT) kill prominent Algeria militant leader of AQIM - Abu Muhajir south of Tripoli

 

[dukkha]

Jordanian equipment issued to the Libyan National Army of Hiftar

 

[dukkha]

^drone warfare (above) & modern well equipped army. Libya is becoming a fierce modern battlefield (my comment)

ballistic helmet is produced by First Armor

MWRAP in video

 

[anatta]

Civilians caught in the crossfire as militias battle for Tripoli

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/n...the-crossfire-as-militias-battle-for-tripoli/

More than 100 civilians killed and injured; 100,000 displaced
UN arms embargo violations by UAE, Turkey and others fuel potential war crimes

Warring parties in the ongoing battle for Tripoli have killed and maimed scores of civilians by launching indiscriminate attacks and using a range of inaccurate explosive weapons in populated urban areas, Amnesty International said in a new report today.

In the first in-depth field investigation across the frontline since fighting broke out on 4 April, the organization visited 33 air and ground strike sites in Tripoli and surrounding areas. It unearthed evidence of potential war crimes by both the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) and the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA), who have been fighting in and around the city.

Our on-the-ground investigation on both sides of the frontline revealed a systematic disregard for international law fuelled by the continued supply of weapons to both sides in violation of a UN arms embargo,” said Donatella Rovera, Senior Crisis Response Adviser at Amnesty International.

“Scores of civilians have been killed and injured as both sides use everything from Gaddafi-era unguided rockets to modern drone-launched guided missiles in attacks that could amount to war crimes,” said Brian Castner, Amnesty International’s Senior Crisis Adviser on Arms and Military Operations.
First investigation on both sides of Tripoli frontline

Amnesty International investigators were on the ground in Libya from 1 to 14 August, and visited both sides of the conflict in and around Tripoli, Tajoura, Ain Zara, Qasr Bin Ghashir and Tarhouna. They interviewed 156 residents, including survivors, witnesses and relatives of victims, as well as local officials, medical workers and members of militias.

Amnesty International experts in remote sensing, weapons and ordnance, photographic and video verification, and members of its Digital Verification Corps also carried out an open source investigation into many of the strikes.

GNA and LNA officials have not responded to questions Amnesty International sent about their strikes.

Air strikes, artillery barrages and shelling have struck civilian homes and other key infrastructure, including several field hospitals, a school, and a migrant detention centre, and have forced the closure of the Mitiga airport, Tripoli’s sole international air link.

Children as young as two years old playing outside their homes, mourners attending a funeral, and ordinary people going about their daily activities were among those unlawfully killed or injured.

What kind of war is this, killing civilians, families, in their homes? What can we do? May God help us.

A woman whose husband was killed when a rocket hit their home.
Her husband, a 56-year-old father of six, was killed when a rocket struck his own bedroom where he was resting after returning home from playing football.

It was part of an indiscriminate attack launched by the LNA on the Abu Salim neighbourhood just before 11pm on 16 April, 2019. The salvo of six notoriously inaccurate ground-launched “Grad” rockets rained down over several city blocks, killing eight civilians, injuring at least four more, and leaving the survivors badly traumatized.

A GNA artillery attack on the densely populated civilian neighbourhood of Qasr bin Ghashir at around 12.15pm on 14 May, 2019, hit a three-storey building, killing at least five civilians and injuring more than a dozen. Many people were moving about the area at the time to attend the funeral of a well-known neighbour.

GNA air strikes in Qasr Bin Ghashir and Tarhouna have also hit civilian homes and infrastructure, utilizing
FAB-500ShL unguided “parachute” bombs. With a blast radius of over 800m, this weapon is completely inappropriate for use in urban areas.

the use of unguided, large explosive weapons.

LNA attacks have also damaged or destroyed several ambulances and field hospitals used to treat wounded fighters.
Medical workers and facilities – including those treating sick or wounded fighters – have special protection under international humanitarian law and should not be targeted.
ave used field hospitals and medical facilities for military purposes, thereby rendering them vulnerable to attacks.


The deadliest such attack was a missile strike on a field hospital near the closed Tripoli International Airport on 27 July 2019 that killed five medics and rescuers and injured eight more. Based on Blue Arrow 7 munition fragments
found at the site and other evidence
Amnesty International determined that the strike was launched from a Chinese Wing Loong drone

 

[anonymoose]

I can remember a while back in the early '00s' before the Arab Spring a German friend of mine went to Libya for holiday. Seems like 4 decades ago now.
It's written in the Tao Te Ching that a bad leader is better than no leader. How true.

 

[dukkha]

I can remember a while back in the early '00s' before the Arab Spring a German friend of mine went to Libya for holiday. Seems like 4 decades ago now.
It's written in the Tao Te Ching that a bad leader is better than no leader. How true.

Qaddafi was a dictator. But he also worked for the betterment of Libya

 

[dukkha]

Oded Berkowitz @Oded121351

Tunisia- fighters of (not Wilayat) Tunis pledging allegiance to new #ISIS "Caliph" Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.
These (just) 6 fighters are one group out of several that operates in different areas along the western mountains.

 

[anatta]

Air strikes shut production at Libya's El Feel oilfield
https://www.yahoo.com/news/air-strikes-shut-production-libyas-144315272.html

FILE PHOTO: View shows El Feel oil field near Murzuq
~
Air strikes halted production at Libya's 70,000 barrel per day (bpd) El Feel oilfield on Wednesday, the National Oil Corporation said, as eastern-based forces retaliated after a rival group took control of the field.

The fighting reignites a conflict for control of large oilfields in southwestern Libya between competing military alliances that are also battling on the outskirts of the capital, Tripoli.

"There have been air strikes at the gates of the El Feel oilfield and inside a housing compound at the field used by NOC personnel," NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla said in a statement.

"Production will remain shuttered until military activity ceases and all military personnel withdraw from NOC's area of operations."

The eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Khalifa Haftar, said its jets had launched air strikes "at the perimeter of El Feel oilfield targeting the positions of armed groups that attacked the field".

Earlier on Wednesday, forces aligned with the internationally recognized government in Tripoli had claimed control of El Feel following clashes.

Some members of the forces posted videos or photos on social media appearing to show them at the field.

Libya's oil production has been repeatedly disrupted in recent years by conflict and blockades, but is currently relatively stable at about 1.25 million bpd.

Libya has been divided since 2014 into rival military and political camps based in Tripoli and the east. Haftar controls most of Libya's oil fields and facilities but oil revenues are controlled by the central bank in Tripoli.

El Feel is operated by Mellitah Oil and Gas, a joint venture between the NOC and Italy's Eni. An engineer at the field said production stood at 70,000 bpd before the stoppage.

Haftar's forces had controlled El Feel and the nearby El Sharara oilfield, Libya's largest, since February, when they swept through the south before launching an offensive on Tripoli in April.

The campaign for Tripoli quickly stalled, though fighting between rival forces continues on the outskirts of the capital.

 

[anatta]

U.S. Officials meet with General Haftar (LNA)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-officials-meet-strongman-end-tripoli-offensive-030305483.html

LNA fighter outside Tripoli
~
Senior US officials met with Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar Monday to discuss steps toward ending his offensive on Tripoli, and accused Russia of exploiting the conflict, the State Department said.

The delegation, which included the US ambassador to Libya Richard Norland, aimed to establish "steps to achieve a suspension of hostilities and a political resolution to the Libyan conflict," the statement read.

The officials underscored full US "support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Libya and expressed serious concern over Russia's exploitation of the conflict at the expense of the Libyan people."

The discussions built on talks held by a delegation from Libya's fledgling unity government in Washington earlier this month.

"These include concrete efforts to address militias and extremist elements, and the distribution of resources so they benefit all Libyans," the statement said.

Haftar in April launched an offensive to seize Tripoli that has killed more than 1,000 people.

Russian mercenaries have been reported to be fighting on the side of Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army.

The New York Times reported earlier in November that the fighters were believed to be controlled by an ally of President Vladimir Putin, an allegation denied by Moscow.

Washington first accused Russia of exploiting the conflict in Libya after the November 14 meeting with Libyan unity government representatives.

Western powers have sent mixed signals with France and Italy welcoming Haftar for visits and Trump after a phone call hailing his role in "fighting terrorism and securing Libya's oil resources."

But the United States later distanced itself from Haftar and joined calls for a ceasefire.

Haftar enjoys strong support from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, which appreciate his opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood, the broad Islamist movement across the Arab world.

 

[dukkha]

Libya's Brega operations suspended in Tripoli due to nearby clashes: statement
ReutersDecember 7, 2019, 2:18 PM EST

TRIPOLI, (Reuters) - Libya's Brega Petroleum Marketing Company (BPMC) said on Saturday it had suspended operations and evacuated all staff from its Tripoli warehouse because of the intensity of clashes and shelling in the city.

Brega, which is owned by state oil firm NOC and in charge of fuel supplies, said in a statement it "was forced to activate the complete evacuation plan in order to ensure the safety of its employees." It said fuel supplies were not immediately affected by the evacuation, without giving further details.

Heavy artillery could be heard in Tripoli's city center on Friday.

The eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) of Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive in April to take control of Tripoli, home to an internationally recognized government of national accord.

Libya has been divided between rival factions based in Tripoli and the east since 2014, and has not had a stable central government since a NATO-backed uprising overthrew Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

 

[dukkha]

Turkey has threatened to deploy troops in support of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA), which faces an assault by military strongman Khalifa Haftar
Turkey has threatened to deploy troops in support of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA), which faces an assault by military strongman Khalifa Haftar (AFP Photo/Mahmud TURKIA)

Ankara (AFP) - Turkey's recent moves with Libya -- threatening troop deployments and signing a contentious maritime deal -- are aimed at shoring up a rare regional ally and preserving access to gas supplies, analysts say.

Ankara has been one of the staunchest supporters of the beleaguered Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, a relationship that has deepened in the face of an assault to seize the Libyan capital by military strongman Khalifa Haftar since April.

As in Syria, the Libyan conflict has become a battle for influence between regional players, with Turkey's bitterest rivals, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, backing Haftar's Libyan National Army.

The issue returned to the spotlight after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the head of the GNA, Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, to Istanbul last month to sign military and maritime agreements.

"Turkey has found itself a natural ally of the GNA. They share the same opponents in different theatres," said Anas El Gomati, director of Tripoli-based think tank, Sadeq Institute, noting the "commercial and political" reasons behind Ankara's support.

"Sarraj has no real force of his own... He badly needs Turkish support to have any chance of counterbalancing Haftar," added Libya specialist Alison Pargeter, of Kings College London.

The maritime deal -- which divides much of the Eastern Mediterranean between Turkey and Libya -- is particularly important given the recent discovery of vast gas reserves that has triggered an exploration scramble between adjacent states and international oil companies.

Greece responded angrily to the Turkey-Libya deal, expelling the Libyan ambassador and urging the UN to condemn it. Turkey already faces European Union sanctions over ships searching for oil and gas off Cyprus, whose government in Nicosia is not recognised by Turkey.

Analysts say the agreement was a response to Turkey being frozen out by others in the region.

Earlier this year, energy ministers from Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Italy and the Palestinian territories agreed to create the "East Mediterranean Gas Forum" without Turkey.

"Turkey fears that it is being boxed in from its southern flank, faced with plans for a future gas pipeline to link Cypriot gas fields with European markets," said Ege Seckin, an analyst focusing on Turkey at IHS Markit.

"The maritime boundaries drawn under the deal cover an area that reaches from southwest Turkey to northeast Libya, cutting across the planned route for this pipeline."

Libya's GNA is the only international partner that supports Ankara's maritime borders.

"If Haftar won the civil war in Libya, Turkey would find itself with no other branch to hold on in the eastern Mediterranean," said Seckin.

- Military support -

To forestall that outcome, Erdogan said this week that he was ready to send troops if they were requested by Sarraj's government in Tripoli.

A UN report said last month several countries were already violating the arms embargo on Libya in place since the overthrow of its long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

Jordan and the UAE regularly supply Haftar's forces, while Turkey supported the GNA, the report said. Turkish and Emirati drones were spotted in Libyan skies during clashes this summer.

Erdogan has said Turkey may hold patrols in the Mediterranean, which Secken said could include waters around the Greek island of Crete.

Another motivating factor, added Seckin, is that Turkey sees Haftar as "a Libyan copy" of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Erdogan strongly backed Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood government that was overthrown by Sisi in 2013, and they have been bitter rivals since.

Haftar has previously ordered his forces to target Turkish companies and arrest Turkish nationals. Six Turkish sailors were briefly held by his forces over the summer.

Reports of Russian mercenaries supporting Haftar -- so far denied by Moscow -- have added a new element to the dangers for the GNA.

Erdogan has said that he does not wish the situation in Libya to "give birth to another Syria", where Ankara and Moscow are on opposing sides of the eight-year conflict despite joint efforts to end the war.

 

[anatta]

Libyan force attacking Tripoli gives militias 3-day deadline
https://www.yahoo.com/news/libyan-force-attacking-tripoli-gives-093037380.html
A Libyan force fighting to capture the country's capital from the U.N.-supported government based there on Friday gave the militias defending Tripoli a three-day deadline to pull out.

The self-styled Libyan National Army issued a statement demanding that the powerful Misrata militias, which are fighting on behalf of the government in the Libyan capital, withdraw from both Tripoli and the coastal city of Sirte. The Misrata militias are named after the western Libyan town of Misrata, which saw some of the heaviest fighting during the 2011 uprising that led to the ouster and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The militias played a key role in Gadhafi's ouster.

For months, the LNA and the militias have been locked in fierce clashes on Tripoli's southern outskirts, with the fighting mostly stalemated.

Last week, LNA commander Khalifa Hifter declared the “zero hour” of the battle for Tripoli had begun, nearly eight months after he began his offensive to take the city. The announcement triggered a fresh bout of clashes around Tripoli.

Friday's LNA statement warned that if the militias do not withdraw, their town Misrata will continue to be targeted “every day, non stop and in an unprecedentedly intensive way.”

The warning came shortly after an LNA airstrike targeted sites where Turkish weapons and military equipment had been stored, said the statement. The Tripoli-based government led by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj condemned the attack, saying it caused civilian casualties but without providing details.

Turkey and Qatar, as well as Italy, have been allied with Sarraj's government, while Hifter is backed by France, Russia and key Arab countries, including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

The U.N. mission in Libya tweeted Friday that it regrets the recent escalation in fighting and all foreign interference, and urged Libyans to return to political dialogue.

Since Hifter's forces launched their offensive on Tripoli in April, both sides have exchanged accusations of deploying allied foreign forces in the ongoing civil war, which has seen Libya divided since 2015 between two governments, one based in the west, in Tripoli, and the other based in the east. Hifter is allied with the east-based government.

Hifter was particularly angered after Sarraj signed a maritime deal and security pact with Turkish President Recep Tayeb Erdogan last month. That pact also angered Egypt. Erdogan later said that Ankara could dispatch Turkish troops to assist the Tripoli-based government — if Sarraj's Cabinet asks for them.

Erdogan renewed his support of Sarraj's government on Friday by criticizing the alleged presence of Russian-backed fighters in Libya.

“It would not be right for us to remain a spectator in the face of this. We have done whatever we can until now and will continue to do so,” he told Turkish reporters at the end of a trip to Malaysia.

The Tripoli-based government has recently said that it had evidence Russia was deploying fighters through a private security contractor to back Hifter's forces in key battleground areas in the past months.

Moscow has repeatedly denied playing any role in Libya’s fighting.

 

[anonymoose]

Turkey and Qatar, as well as Italy, have been allied with Sarraj's government, while Hifter is backed by France, Russia and key Arab countries, including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Why does any foreign govt. care? Libya is a wasteland.

The U.N. mission in Libya tweeted Friday that it regrets the recent escalation in fighting and all foreign interference, and urged Libyans to return to political dialogue.

Yeah, right.

 

[anatta]

Why does any foreign govt. care? Libya is a wasteland.

oil, and it's a key country of the Maghreb

Yeah, right.

it's true, nut the UN imposed the government in Tripoli,so they aren't honest brokers

 

[anatta]

Two killed in air strike on shopping area in Libya
https://www.yahoo.com/news/two-killed-air-strike-shopping-area-libya-193331634.html

An air strike Thursday on a shopping area during rush hour near Libya's capital killed at least two civilians and wounded 20 others, a local official said.

The air strike on the town of Zawiya, 45 kilometres (30 miles) west of Tripoli, hit a pharmacy, a bakery and cars parked on the street, the mayor of the town, Jamal Baher, told AFP.

"Two people were killed and 20 others were wounded," he said.

The air strike took place as the area was busy with shoppers ahead of the weekend, which starts Friday in the North African country.

It comes amid fighting between the Tripoli-based, UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) and rival forces answering to strongman Khalifa Haftar, who is based in the country's east.

Tensions have further spiked in recent weeks as Turkey said it could deploy troops in Libya to support the GNA.

Earlier on Thursday, GNA Interior Minister, Fathi Bashaga, said his government may officially seek Turkish military support to counter an offensive on Tripoli launched by Haftar in April.

Haftar has "provided foreign forces with military bases in Libya," Bashagha told journalists in the Tunisian capital Tunis.

"If this position continues, we have the right to defend Tripoli and we will officially ask the Turkish government for its military support," he added.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is in Tunisia to discuss the conflict in Libya, said his country's parliament will vote in January on a motion to send troops to Libya to support the GNA.

"God willing, we will pass it in parliament on January 8-9 and thus respond to an invitation" from the GNA, said Erdogan.

His comments come after the Turkish parliament on Saturday ratified a security and military cooperation deal with the GNA.

 

[dukkha]

Will Turkey use Syrians to fight in Libya?

https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Is-Turkey-using-Syrians-to-fight-in-Syria-612316

On Thursday, the Government of the National Accord in Tripoli, one of two governments fighting a civil war in the country, requested Turkey’s military support.
This came in the wake of a deal in late November that demarcated economic rights for Turkey off the coast of Libya and led Turkey to promise military support in exchange.

For Ankara, it meant a chance to expand the military operations it has carried out in Syria and Iraq, and the bases it has in Qatar and Somalia, to establish itself in an area of North Africa for the first time since 1912.
But Turkey doesn’t like using its own army to fight in places like Syria, so it has hinted at recruiting Syrians to fight and die for it, leading to controversy.

Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accelerated the use of its military to extend its influence, combining military, economic and diplomatic initiatives from the Horn of Africa to the Gulf and its border regions.
It has worked closely with Russia on arms deals and has increasingly positioned itself as a leader of a section of the Islamic world, meeting with Qatar, Malaysia, Iran and Hamas at a recent Malaysia summit where it talked about establishing a new Islamic currency based on the gold dinar.

As far-fetched as this seems, Turkey has shown then when it says it will do something, it tends to do it.
It said for years it would invade Afrin and it did so in January 2018. It said it would invade eastern Syria, where US-backed, mostly Kurdish forces were present and it invaded in October as the US withdrew.

After Turkey signed a deal with the embattled Tripoli government, the parliament in Ankara ratified the security aspect of the deal on December 21.
From Turkey’s perspective, it has leapt at the chance to embrace Tripoli because the governments have a similar worldview.
It has been backed by Turkey and Qatar for years, including receiving finances, drones and armored vehicles, even as it lost territory to Egyptian-backed Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar.
His Libyan National Army now controls most of Libya, and his war with the Government of National Accord (GNA) was a kind of proxy war for the region. Egypt vs. Turkey; UAE vs. Qatar.
Now it could be a new group of proxies filling the trenches in Libya: men from Syria.

Turkey has painted itself into a corner by saying that it would send forces if Tripoli asked for them.
And Tripoli asked on Thursday, so now Turkey must act. Turkey has sent officials to Russia to discuss Libya.
Russia has been rumored to be backing Haftar. Moscow and Ankara already signed deals: over northern Syria in September 2018 in Idlib, and in October over the area of Tel Abyad.

In a sense, Libya is just another deal. In Idlib, Russia backs the Syrian regime’s offensive; the “deal” Turkey signed was shown to be worthless, as 200,000 people have fled in the last few months.
In areas near Tel Abyad and in Afrin, Russia allowed Turkey to take over parts of Syria – even though the Syrian regime would prefer that Turkey not gobble up more of Syria.

So the quid-pro-quo could be that Turkey sends forces to Libya to pressure Russia, and Moscow and Ankara make some deal on Idlib when Russian President Vladimir Putin visits in early January.
Turkey and Russia have more in common than what drives them apart, including the TurkStream pipeline and the S-400 deal. Some kilometers of Syria or Libya are less important – so long as each side can argue that it supported its other allies.

For Turkey, the main problem is that it helped create the Syrian National Army of former Syrian rebels who signed on to fight in a Turkish-backed military unit.
This unit gathered a bunch of groups together on October 9, many of them extremists who have been accused of looting, kidnapping, and attacking civilians in Afrin and now in Tel Abyad. Some people joined just for cash, or a chance to loot. US officials called them undisciplined and said they were involved in ethnically cleansing of Kurds. Now what happens if they go to Libya?

 

[dukkha]

Middle East Eye claimed that Ankara had reached out to Syrian rebel groups including the Sultan Murad unit, Suqour al-Sham brigade, and Faylaq al-Sham (Sham legion). While the navy guards Tripoli, according to Bloomberg, these units could be sending advisors and members to go and fight. The forces that go will also be paid for their services as an incentive.

Tripoli may want more than some undisciplined Syrian rebel fighters, who have only been able to move forward in Afrin and Tel Abyad with Turkish air and artillery support. Otherwise they have been pushed out of Idlib by more extreme groups, and spend time fighting among themselves or harassing civilians and posing with weapons or chanting slogans. Turkey will say that it is just supporting the internationally recognized Libyan government’s request. But lip-service for the GNA won’t help Tripoli enough; it wants air strikes, naval assets and real soldiers to bolster its weakening defenses.

Are these groups “mercenaries” or “jihadists” as some dub them? Why would Turkey recruit Turkmen from units like Sultan Murad or the Mutasim Division to go to Libya, where there is no Turkmen community?
How will those groups even speak with the local Libyans on the front line? Recruiting cannon fodder to fight as proxies is not new to Turkey or the Libya war. Iran recruited poor Shi’ites from Afghanistan and Pakistan to fight for Assad in Syria.

It’s hard to get around the fact that reports indicate some are willing to go just for the money, which could be thousands of dollars a month. But the units mentioned in reports still denied on December 27 that they were being recruited to go. But what’s wrong with going for the money – other soldiers join the army for cash incentives, right? Turkey can likely push a successful narrative that it is just recruiting some people to defend the Tripoli government from a Russian- and Egyptian-backed offensive.
It can say that as a NATO country it is helping the US and the West. It will argue that whereas Russia is attacking Idlib, Turkey is now supporting the Libyan people.
Qatar will likely be paying the bills for the operation, so using Qatar’s extensive media contacts and lobbying efforts, as well as the GNA’s own support network, will portray this as saving Tripoli.

But for the Syrian rebel groups themselves, they will seem even more out of touch than they already are. Displaced from Idlib, they will be seen as going to far-away Libya while Syrians flee bombing.

For Turkey, the benefit will be to shift media attention from its promises to resettle millions of Syrians near Tel Abyad – which it won’t be able to do – to a new military nationalist adventure in Libya.
https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Is-Turkey-using-Syrians-to-fight-in-Syria-612316
A new, great Turkish success will show that it has once again done what Western countries failed to do:
Get a deal from Russia in Libya and in Idlib at the same time.
Turkey has US President Donald Trump’s support here because Trump tweeted about how Turkey is the only country stopping the “carnage” in Idlib.
The Libya operation – especially if Syrians start being killed fighting there for the GNA and Turkey – is a challenge for Ankara. But it is also a testament to Turkey’s willingness to be daring and forceful