News / North Africa

Turkey warns Egypt of ‘dangerous military adventure’ in Libya

Thursday, 23 July 2020 10:29 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 23 July 2020 10:29 AM ]

Members of the self-proclaimed eastern Libyan National Army (LNA) special forces gather in the city of Benghazi, on June 18, 2020. (Photo by AFP)

Turkey has warned that Egypt would embark on a “dangerous adventure” if it went ahead with a plan to deploy troops in the North African country.

Ibrahim Kalin, a top security adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, issued the warning in an interview with Reuters news agency on Wednesday after the Egyptian parliament gave a green light for possible military intervention in Libya.

Kalin underlined that any Egyptian deployment in the oil-rich African country would hamper efforts to end the conflict and would be risky for Cairo, saying, "I believe it will be a dangerous military adventure for Egypt."

Egypt Parliament approves troop deployment in Libya

The Egyptian parliament has unanimously approved the deployment of troops outside the country, laying the groundwork for a possible military intervention in Libya.

Libya has been beset by chaos since the overthrow and killing of its long-serving ruler Muammar Gaddafi following a NATO operation in 2011.

The conflict has escalated into a regional proxy war fueled by foreign powers pouring weapons and mercenaries into the country.

Tensions escalated further last year after the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA) under rebel commander Khalifa Haftar moved toward Tripoli to seize the city, which was repelled by Libyan government forces.

The UN-backed Libyan government in Tripoli has the support of Turkey, while the LNA based in Benghazi is supported by Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

A big escalation in Libya could risk igniting a direct conflict among the foreign powers that have poured in weapons and fighters in violation of an arms embargo.

Turkey and Russia agreed on Wednesday to press for a ceasefire in Libya, calling on Haftar's rebel groups to withdraw from key positions for a credible truce to take hold.