Turkish presence, a threat to Libya

A US report said thousands of Syrian mercenaries sent by Turkey to Libya to fight on the side of the Tripoli government were likely to degrade security and cause a backlash from the Libyan public.

The US Defence Department’s inspector general also said in a new report that he was concerned about the growing presence of Russian mercenaries fighting for the rivals of the Tripoli-based government in the Libyan war.

The report, which was released on Tuesday, said Turkey sent to Libya at least 5,000 Syrian mercenaries who had worked closely with Ankara in Syria’s civil war.

They were sent to help government militias fight the forces of eastern-based Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

Turkey also sent hundreds of regular troops to Libya, including operators and technicians for Turkish air defence systems in western Libya, the report said.

While the Syrian mercenaries bolstered the government’s position, “their continued presence will continue to negatively affect the overall security situation in Libya", said the report.

Libya was plunged into chaos when a Nato-backed uprising in 2011 toppled longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi, who was later killed.