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Turkish President Admits Sending Syrian Fighters to Libya

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting at the Parliament in Ankara, Turkey (Turkish Presidential Press Office)
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting at the Parliament in Ankara, Turkey (Turkish Presidential Press Office)
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Turkish President Admits Sending Syrian Fighters to Libya

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting at the Parliament in Ankara, Turkey (Turkish Presidential Press Office)
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting at the Parliament in Ankara, Turkey (Turkish Presidential Press Office)

Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan said his country has sent Syrian opposition fighters to Libya.

“Turkey is there [in Libya] with a training force. There are also people from the Syrian National Army,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul, referring to opposition fighters who were previously known as the “Free Syrian Army”.

The Turkish president added that the reports are saying Turkey sent mercenaries from Syria, wondering why no one discusses the 2,5000 mercenaries of the Russian company Wagner or the 15,000 mercenaries from Sudan and Chad who fight alongside Libyan National Army (LNA) forces.

“We are in Libya at the invitation of the Libyan people, and the legitimate government representing it,” referring to the memorandum of understanding for military and security cooperation signed with Government of National Accord, headed by Fayez al-Sarraj.

“We will not go out until peace and stability are achieved in Libya,” continued Erdogan.

Several reports had indicated that Turkey sent Syrian mercenaries after they were promised the Turkish citizenship and salaries of up to $2,000 per month, to fight alongside militias loyal to the GNA.

This is the first time Erdogan admits to sending these elements and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) estimated they were around 3,600 fighters from pro-Turkish factions and brigades in Syria.

The Turkish President reaffirmed that his country will continue to support the GNA and renewed his attack on LNA leader Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, saying that he was “mercenary and has illegal status."

Erdogan's comments came after a surprising meeting in Istanbul with Sarraj, who withdrew from the UN-sponsored Geneva peace talks on Libya, aimed to establish a permanent cease-fire.

The Turkish presidency said the closed meeting between Erdogan and Sarraj was not included in the President's agenda, without giving any further details.

Diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Sarraj briefed Erdogan on the Geneva talks, and the situation after the LNA bombed Tripoli port.

They suggested that Sarraj may have requested further Turkish military support to thwart LNA’s advancement.

Earlier, Haftar visited Moscow where he met the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and the two agreed on the need to implement the decisions of the Berlin Conference on the Libyan crisis.

For his part, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday that Turkish guarantees in Libya are dependent on a truce between warring sides being upheld.

“If the cease-fire does not continue, the transfer to a political process is very hard. The world condemns, but what is being done to stop Haftar?”

Turkey's special envoy to Libya Emrullah Isler said Friday that Turkey is in Libya in agreement with the legitimate government, referring to Sarraj’s government, denying that Turkey had established a military base in Tripoli.

He indicated that members of the Turkish forces in Libya use bases and camps that were established mainly in Tripoli.

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Arab World

Iraq Frustrated by Iran’s Reluctance to Rein in Militias

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has cautioned leaders of the Coordination Framework about the threats facing Iraq due to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran (X)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has cautioned leaders of the Coordination Framework about the threats facing Iraq due to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran (X)
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Iraq Frustrated by Iran’s Reluctance to Rein in Militias

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has cautioned leaders of the Coordination Framework about the threats facing Iraq due to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran (X)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has cautioned leaders of the Coordination Framework about the threats facing Iraq due to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran (X)

A senior government official said Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has warned leaders of the Coordination Framework about the “risks to Iraq” from the growing conflict between Israel and Iran.

The official added that Iran is using “deception” when asked to distance its allied militias from the war.

Political and government figures are increasingly worried that Iraq could be hit, after two Israeli soldiers were killed in a drone strike on the Golan Heights early Friday.

Speaking anonymously to Asharq Al-Awsat, the official said al-Sudani is taking steps to keep Iraq out of the conflict.

These efforts include ramping up “political mediation” to persuade militias not to involve Iraq. The prime minister “informed Coordination Framework leaders of the risks” and urged them to “act quickly.”

The official also warned that an attack is still possible, saying intelligence shows the Iraqi militias launched the strike from outside Iraq, using weapons that came from Iraqi territory.

Al-Sudani’s Mediation Efforts

The Iraqi premier has chosen mediators, approved by Iran, to negotiate with militias about the conflict and conditions for de-escalation. These three individuals have previously acted as mediators in past crises.

Last week, Asharq Al-Awsat reported that al-Sudani asked three key Shiite figures to intervene and prevent militias from getting involved in the war between Hezbollah and Israel, after reports surfaced that Israel had identified 35 Iraqi targets.

Sources confirmed that Ammar al-Hakim is among the mediators, along with two other influential Shiite leaders whose names haven’t been disclosed.

However, two Iraqi militias—likely the al-Nujaba Movement led by Akram al-Kaabi and Kataib Hezbollah led by Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi—have refused to cooperate and continue launching rocket attacks on Israel.

The Iraqi official admitted that some militias are “stubborn,” but stressed that al-Sudani knows Iraq is “at the center of the storm.”

He reportedly told leaders of the Coordination Framework, “Iraq cannot avoid a military strike if it happens, so we must stay out of the war to protect the country.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in a Friday sermon, stated that “Iran’s allies in the region won’t back down,” increasing concerns that Iraqi militias tied to Iran will continue attacking Israel.

Iraqi sources also reported that the Coordination Framework has reviewed an “intelligence report” on dozens of Iraqi targets that Israel might strike or assassinate.

Government Efforts to Prevent Escalation

Al-Sudani has blocked the flow of Iraqi funds into conflict zones, unlike previous leaders, according to the official.

He has worked closely with the US and its Treasury Department to strictly monitor financial movements, often insisting that Iran uses official channels to claim its dues from Iraq.

The official also said global auditing firms are now helping Iraq’s central bank oversee financial transactions, shutting down all previous routes for illicit money flows.

Since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, the US told Iraq it pressured Israel not to strike Iraq, as long as Iraq stays out of the conflict, the official added.

The US doesn’t oppose Iraq’s stance of condemning Israel, supporting Lebanon and Palestine, and sending aid.

But it “won’t accept any financial or military support to militias.”

Regarding Iran’s role, the official said Tehran claims militias act independently, dodging responsibility for reining them in.