Warlord Khalifa Haftar threatened Thursday to use force against Turkish troops if Ankara “doesn’t stop supporting the legitimate government in Libya, a comment he made as he was attending a celebration of the Libyan Independence Day in the eastern region.
Haftar’s comments also came in response to the Turkish Parliament’s decision to extend for 18 months a law that allows the deployment of Turkish troops to Libya.
Turkish military assistance to the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, including advisors, equipment and intelligence, helped stop Haftar’s yearlong assaults on the capital, which aimed to seize power by the help of UAE, France, Russia and others.
“There will be no security or peace as long as the boots of the Turkish military are desecrating our immaculate soil. We will carry weapons to bring about peace with our own hands and our free will.” Haftar said, urging for war again amid the UN-led efforts to strike peace via dialogues.
“The colonizing enemy has one of two choices: either to leave peacefully or to be driven out by force,” warlord Haftar said, referring to Turkey.
In the meantime, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) seized the same national occasion to urge Libya’s rivals to observe the ceasefire and respect a political roadmap that envisages the holding of national elections on 24 December, 2021.
“While the Mission calls on Libyans to consolidate their efforts and take courageous steps toward national reconciliation, and to look forward to a bright future for all Libyans to live in peace and prosperity, it affirms its full commitment to assisting the Libyan people in building their unified state,” a UNSMIL statement said on Thursday.
