Egyptian tanks sent to Libya to thwart Turkish intervention in battle for Tripoli
https://www.debka.com/egyptian-tanks-se ... r-tripoli/
"By sending troops to Libya, Erdogan is risking a major Mediterranean conflict"
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/er ... 50201.html
Francuska stala na stranu pobunjenika:Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan is upping the ante in Libya, shipping drones, tanks, special forces and commando units to the conflict-ravaged North African country. On Sunday, Erdogan announced that Turkey is ready to send troops to Libya to prop up the UN-recognised government against a military offensive by general Khalifa Haftar that started last week. Haftar’s fresh campaign was triggered by a new security deal signed by Ankara and the Tripoli government. The two sides have drawn up a memorandum of understanding to secure drilling rights in the Mediterranean. The new agreement sets out a peculiar process for mapping out maritime boundaries between Turkey and Libya. In response to Turkey’s latest move Greece has filed a complaint to the Security Council, while Egypt has carried out live-fire military manoeuvres near its Mediterranean coast. And at their summit last week, the EU Leaders declared the agreement a violation of international law. Turkey hardly seems inclined to back down. After Erdogan pledged to send his troops to Libya, Turkish-backed northern Cyprus received drones to help Turkey’s gas excavation projects near the island.
But establishing a military base in Libya could prove to be Erdogan’s biggest strategic blunder. In particular, it goes against Egypt and the UAE, who have for years backed Haftar in his efforts to capture Tripoli... Reports have recently surfaced that Russia has increased its military support for Haftar’s National Army, which controls most of Libya’s strategic oil fields in Libya. President Vladimir Putin’s audacious move dropped the jaws of Trump’s administration. Erdogan is playing on this very American fear of the heavy Russian military presence in North Africa. The Americans know that Russia is trying to copy president Trump’s strategy of keeping American troops in Syria in order to maintain control over the oil fields, this time in Libya. Erdogan also understands that Haftar’s assault on Tripoli doesn’t have the West’s support. For that, he is hoping to present himself as a reliable, legitimate and a western-backed counterbalance. Erdogan may not be bluffing about deploying troops to Tripoli and flexing his muscles against Cyprus, but upping the stakes in the backyard of such powerful players like the EU, Egypt and Israel is a risky business.
https://www.france24.com/en/video/20191 ... t-in-libya