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Turkey Prepares Drones for Sirte Battle

A warplane belonging to eastern Libyan forces, July 22, 2019 (File photo: Reuters)
A warplane belonging to eastern Libyan forces, July 22, 2019 (File photo: Reuters)
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Turkey Prepares Drones for Sirte Battle

A warplane belonging to eastern Libyan forces, July 22, 2019 (File photo: Reuters)
A warplane belonging to eastern Libyan forces, July 22, 2019 (File photo: Reuters)

Turkey said it has deployed ‘Bayraktar’ drones in Misrata and said the airbase will be used in a possible military operation in the Libyan eastern city of Sirte.

Media reports claimed that satellite images revealed the locations of drones around the Misrata base and that elements of the Turkish forces and militias loyal to the GNA had established shelters during the past few weeks south of the airbase to be used in the expected military operation and the attack on Jufra base.

Turkey has successfully used ‘Bayraktar’ drones in military operations in northern Syria and in the vicinity of the capital, Tripoli, to support the Government of National Accord (GNA) headed by Fayez al-Sarraj.

Last Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said there are military preparation taking place in Sirte, noting that withdrawal of Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, from Sirte and Jufra has been discussed with Russia, which is a condition for a ceasefire in Libya.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi warned Turkey and GNA that any assault on the coastal city of Sirte is a “red line” for Egypt.

Also, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry responded to the Turkish minister's statement saying it was “a clear violation of international law and UN resolutions on Libya.”

Meanwhile, Turkey and the GNA are discussing possible Turkish use of the Misrata naval base and al-Watiya airbase.

“Turkey using al-Watiya ... is on the agenda,” Reuters quoted a Turkish source as saying, adding that “it could also be possible for the Misrata naval base to be used by Turkey.”

The Turkish presidency announced that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his US counterpart Donald Trump agreed in a phone call on Tuesday to work more closely in Libya to ensure lasting stability in the country.

Erdogan and Trump also discussed bilateral ties and a trade target of $100 billion.

The White House confirmed the phone call and said that both leaders discussed positive trade issues between the US and Turkey and underscored the need for a negotiated settlement of regional issues.

Earlier, Cavusglo said that the US needs to play a more active role in Libya, both in achieving a ceasefire and in political talks

“For some reason, the US has not been that active in Libya, perhaps because of past traumas,” Cavusoglu said in an interview with broadcaster NTV.

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Cyprus Can Help Rid Syria of Chemical Weapons, Search for its Missing, Says Top Diplomat

FILE PHOTO: A UN chemical weapons expert, wearing a gas mask, holds a plastic bag containing samples from one of the sites of an alleged chemical weapons attack in the Ain Tarma neighborhood of Damascus August 29, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed Abdullah
FILE PHOTO: A UN chemical weapons expert, wearing a gas mask, holds a plastic bag containing samples from one of the sites of an alleged chemical weapons attack in the Ain Tarma neighborhood of Damascus August 29, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed Abdullah
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Cyprus Can Help Rid Syria of Chemical Weapons, Search for its Missing, Says Top Diplomat

FILE PHOTO: A UN chemical weapons expert, wearing a gas mask, holds a plastic bag containing samples from one of the sites of an alleged chemical weapons attack in the Ain Tarma neighborhood of Damascus August 29, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed Abdullah
FILE PHOTO: A UN chemical weapons expert, wearing a gas mask, holds a plastic bag containing samples from one of the sites of an alleged chemical weapons attack in the Ain Tarma neighborhood of Damascus August 29, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed Abdullah

Cyprus stands ready to help eliminate Syria’s remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and to support a search for people whose fate remains unknown after more than a decade of war, the top Cypriot diplomat said Saturday.

Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said Cyprus’ offer is grounded on its own past experience both with helping rid Syria of chemical weapons 11 years ago and its own ongoing, decades-old search for hundreds of people who disappeared amid fighting between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriots in the 1960s and a 1974 Turkish invasion, The AP reported.

Cyprus in 2013 hosted the support base of a mission jointly run by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to remove and dispose of Syria's chemical weapons.

“As a neighboring country located just 65 miles from Syria, Cyprus has a vested interest in Syria’s future. Developments there will directly impact Cyprus, particularly in terms of potential new migratory flows and the risks of terrorism and extremism,” Kombos told The AP in written replies to questions.

Kombos said there are “profound concerns” among his counterparts across the region over Syria’s future security, especially regarding a possible resurgence of extremist groups like ISIS in a fragmented and polarized society.

“This is particularly critical in light of potential social and demographic engineering disguised as “security” arrangements, which could further destabilize the country,” Kombos said.

The diplomat also pointed to the recent proliferation of narcotics production like the stimulant Captagon that is interconnected with smuggling networks involved in people and arms trafficking.

Kombos said ongoing attacks against Syria’s Kurds must stop immediately, given the role that Kurdish forces have played in combating extremist forces like the ISIS group in the past decade.

Saleh Muslim, a member of the Kurdish Presidential Council, said in an interview that the Kurds primarily seek “equality” enshrined in rights accorded to all in any democracy.

He said a future form of governance could accord autonomy to the Kurds under some kind of federal structure.

“But the important thing is to have democratic rights for all the Syrians and including the Kurdish people,” he said.

Muslim warned that the Kurdish-majority city of Kobani, near Syria’s border with Türkiye, is in “very big danger” of falling into the hands of Turkish-backed forces, and accused Türkiye of trying to occupy it.

Kombos said the international community needs to ensure that the influence Türkiye is trying to exert in Syria is “not going to create an even worse situation than there already is.”

“Whatever the future landscape in Syria, it will have a direct and far-reaching impact on the region, the European Union and the broader international community,” Kombos said.