Libyan eastern commander Khalifa Haftar on Thursday called on his army to drive out Turkish forces, backing the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, as talks continue to end long-running war in the oil-rich nation, reported Africa News.
“There will be no security or peace as long as the boots of the Turkish military are desecrating our immaculate soil,” Haftar said while commemorating the 69th anniversary of Libya’s Independence Day. “We will carry weapons to bring about peace with our own hands and our free will.”
Haftar’s warning followed the Turkish parliament’s decision to extend a law that allows the deployment of Turkish troops to Libya for the next 18 months. The announcement came on Tuesday, despite a United Nations-brokered cease-fire in Libya declared in October. The cease-fire deal called for foreign forces to leave the country within three months.
Notably, Turkish military assistance to the Tripoli-based government helped stop Haftar’s year-long offensive on the capital.
“The colonizing enemy has one of two choices: either to leave peacefully or to be driven out by force,” Haftar said, referring to Turkey.
Earlier this month, Haftar’s forces intercepted and towed a Turkish cargo ship to the port of Ras Al-Hilal, east of Benghazi, before releasing it following the payment of an undisclosed fee.
Meanwhile, Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of Tripoli-based GNA, appealed to Libyans to “turn the page on disagreements to achieve stability”.
He said the only way for this to be possible was to achieve solidarity between political forces.
Libya fell into chaos after an uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Since 2015, the Libyan country has been split into two governments, one in the east led by Haftar and one in the west led by the UN-recognized government.
Haftar is backed by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, while the GNA has got Turkey’s backing.
