Turkey sends mercenaries, weapons to Libya’s GNA daily: LNA General

Turkey continues to support Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) by sending mercenaries and weapons daily, said Brigade General Khalid al-Mahjoub of the Libyan National Army (LNA), which is led by General Khalifa Haftar and is rivaling the GNA for power of Libya.

“The planes arrive every day, ranging from transporting mercenaries from Turkey to transporting weapons and equipment. And we noticed in the recent period that other types of weapons were also brought in,” he told Al Arabiya’s sister station Al Hadath on Monday.

#Turkey supports #Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord by sending mercenaries and weapons daily, says Brigade General Khalid al-Mahjoub of the Libyan National Army, which is led by General Khalifa Haftar.https://t.co/HmuVxKBcDq pic.twitter.com/i8cI2zqJCw

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) June 1, 2020

Turkey, which has supported the GNA in the ongoing war against the LNA, has previously been accused of sending thousands of mercenaries to Libya, as well as ammunition, weapons, and drones.

Al-Mahjoub confirmed to Al Hadath that Ankara has also been sending weaponry to support the GNA in its fight for control over Libya.

Al-Mahjoub’s comments came after Italmilradar, an Italian website that tracks military flights, detected two Turkish Air Force planes arriving at the Libyan city of Misrata.

The website detected the first plane arriving in Libya at midnight on Monday. At the time, they reported that a second military aircraft from Turkey was flying over the Mediterranean.

According to al-Mahjoub, Turkey has sent several types of weapons to the GNA, including kamikaze planes and Phoenix drones.

“Another type [of weapons and drones] were also brought, which are called suicide planes (kamikaze planes) and are used only once. They carry explosives and are meant to target individuals and equipment by detecting specific targets,” he said.

Al Arabiya English