Libya’s LNA says it will impose ban on Turkish flights – Reuters
Al-Mismari said Haftar had declared Turkey as an enemy state of their forces, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported.
The Libyan National Army (LNA) forces led by commander Khalifa Haftar will ban any commercial flights from Libya to Turkey and Turkish ships from docking in the country, Reuters quoted LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari as saying on Friday.
Al-Mismari said Haftar had declared Turkey as an enemy state of their forces, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported.
Ankara supports internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli. The eastern-based LNA, which started a campaign three months ago to seize Tripoli and supported by Turkey’s regional rivals Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, accuses Turkey of funding and arming Islamist factions in Libya fighting on the side of the GNA.
Any aircraft arriving from Turkey attempting to land in the capital Tripoli would be treated as hostile, Reuters quoted Mismari as saying. The same would apply to Turkish ships docking at Libyan ports, according to the spokesman.
Mismari also said LNA forces would attack any Turkish military presence, without elaborating.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he had ”no information” on the statement issued by Mismari at a G-20 summit press conference in Osaki, Japan on Saturday.
”I have no information on who such an order was given by. Which Turkish ships were ordered to be attacked?” Erdoğan said.
The LNA has failed to take Tripoli but it commands air superiority and has several times attacked Tripoli’s functioning airport, Reuters said. The eastern-based government said early this month that its fighter jets had brought down a Turkish drone which had been landing on the runway of Mitiga airbase.
Source: Ahval
