Libyan National Army: Turkey Building Secret Military Base in Tripoli’s Mitiga Airport

A convoy vehicle is seen after reopening of the Mitiga airport in Tripoli, Libya October 29, 2019. (Reuters)
A convoy vehicle is seen after reopening of the Mitiga airport in Tripoli, Libya October 29, 2019. (Reuters)
TT

Libyan National Army: Turkey Building Secret Military Base in Tripoli’s Mitiga Airport

A convoy vehicle is seen after reopening of the Mitiga airport in Tripoli, Libya October 29, 2019. (Reuters)
A convoy vehicle is seen after reopening of the Mitiga airport in Tripoli, Libya October 29, 2019. (Reuters)

Turkey has started building a military base inside Mitiga International Airport in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, an informed source revealed.

The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Turkish military and intelligence officials were present at the base.

Mitiga is the only functional airport in western Libya. Fighting forced the closure of Tripoli International Airport in 2014 and it has been shut ever since.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said Ankara is planning to bolster its military presence in Libya through a secret military base. Turkish officers are also assisting at the operations command center affiliated with militias that are loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA).

The source’s comments coincided with reports that said Turkey was seeking to bring in more mercenaries and fighters from Kenya and Somalia to back the GNA.

Meanwhile, Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari released on Thursday video footage from inside a Turkish vessel that had unloaded modern weapons and military equipment at Tripoli port on Tuesday night.

Mismari deemed the development a Turkish “invasion” that violates all international laws and norms, as well as the ceasefire in the western region.

The spokesman also released photos of the military shipment.

France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier this week spotted a Turkish frigate escorting a cargo ship delivering armored vehicles to Tripoli in defiance of a UN embargo, a French military source said Thursday, according to AFP.

The cargo ship Bana, sailing under a Lebanese flag, docked in Tripoli port on Wednesday, said the source, who asked not to be named.

According to the Marine Traffic specialist website, the vessel was recorded Thursday off the coast of Sicily.

The claim came a day after President Emmanuel Macron accused his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan of failing "to keep his word" to end meddling in the north African country.

Specifically, Macron said Turkish ships had in recent days been seen taking ships laden with pro-Ankara Syrian mercenaries to Libya.

Meanwhile, United Nations envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame was set to meet with LNA commander Khlifa Haftar in the eastern city of Benghazi to persuade him to join the ten-member committee that would oversee the fragile truce in Libya.

The formation of the committee was agreed during last month’s Berlin conference. It will be comprised of five members from each of the LNA and GNA.

The committee is set to meet in Geneva on Tuesday, but that has been put to doubt over Haftar’s failure to name his candidates to the body.



Lebanese PM Slams Int’l Community’s ‘Silence over Israeli Crimes’

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson in Beirut. (Government office)
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson in Beirut. (Government office)
TT

Lebanese PM Slams Int’l Community’s ‘Silence over Israeli Crimes’

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson in Beirut. (Government office)
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson in Beirut. (Government office)

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati slammed on Monday the international community’s “silence over Israel’s crimes and destruction” in his country.

“The international community is complicit in these crimes when countries that champion humanity and human rights should be applying maximum pressure on Israel to make it stop its assault,” he added during meetings held with the ambassadors of the five permanent member states of the United Nations Security Council.

Mikati handed the ambassadors a report by the Health Ministry detailing the damage incurred by the sector from the Israeli raids.

He noted the threats to “priceless cultural heritage” in the cities of Tyre and Baalbek as a result of Israel’s attacks.

Moreover, he reiterated his government’s commitment to Security Council resolution 1701 and its determination to deploy the army in the South.

“It has welcomed every call for a ceasefire, while the Israeli enemy has turned against all proposed solutions and forged ahead in committing war crimes against Lebanon, even reaching its historic sites. These attacks are additional crimes against humanity that should be confronted and stopped,” he urged.

The PM underscored the need for pressure to end the assault to pave the way for talks over how to implement resolution 1701.

Furthermore, he said the government had approved during a recent meeting increasing the presence of army in the South and recruiting more troops. In its next meeting, the ministers will discuss the executive steps to support the recruitment of 1,500 soldiers.

Mikati met with US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson, UK Chargé D'Affaires Victoria Dunne, Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Aleksandr Rudakov, China’s Ambassador Qian Minjian, French Ambassador Herve Magro, and Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze.