Turkey provides military trainings to Libyan army

By Burak Dag

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish Armed Forces provided multiple rocket launcher training to the Libyan Armed Forces, said Turkey’s National Defense Ministry on Thursday.

“As part of the 'Military Training, Cooperation and Consultancy Agreement', Multiple Rocket Launcher Training was provided to the Libyan Armed Forces,” the ministry said on Twitter.

On Nov. 27, 2019, Ankara and Tripoli signed two memorandums of understanding: one on military cooperation and the other on maritime boundaries of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Based in the capital Tripoli and currently led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, the Government of National Accord was founded in 2015 under a UN-led agreement, but efforts for a long-term political settlement failed due to a military offensive by Haftar's forces.

The UN recognizes al-Sarraj's government as the country's legitimate authority, which also enjoys support from Turkey.

Tripoli has been battling Haftar's militias since April 2019 in a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives.