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Turkey Continues to Send Weapons, Mercenaries to Libya, EU Report Says

The Turkish Minister of Defense during his recent visit to Tripoli to support the Government of National Accord (AP)
The Turkish Minister of Defense during his recent visit to Tripoli to support the Government of National Accord (AP)
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Turkey Continues to Send Weapons, Mercenaries to Libya, EU Report Says

The Turkish Minister of Defense during his recent visit to Tripoli to support the Government of National Accord (AP)
The Turkish Minister of Defense during his recent visit to Tripoli to support the Government of National Accord (AP)

Recent European report revealed that Turkey is still sending weapons to Libya’s al-Watiya airbase in western Tripoli.

Two cargo planes coming from Turkey landed in the airbase, Italian news agency Nova reported on Thursday.

According to the report, one of these aircraft carries advanced air defense systems, exclusively owned by NATO member states, while the second plane held a number of logistical materials and forces from Syrian armed factions loyal to Turkey as mercenaries to fight for the Government of National Accord (GNA).

The Tripoli-based GNA and Turkey signed a number of security agreements last year, which paved the way for Ankara to send its own troops as well as Syrian mercenaries to fight with GNA against the Libyan National Army (LNA).

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) affirmed that Turkey is still keeping about 8,000 Syrian mercenaries in Libya despite the UN-brokered ceasefire agreement signed by the two warring parties in October 2020.

SOHR Chief Rami Abdul Rahman said the Turkish mercenaries didn’t receive their full salaries promised by Ankara, which is estimated at $2000 to $3000.

He pointed out that their leaders deduct large sums from their salaries before transferring them to their families in their home country.

The number of recruits who arrived in Libya amounts to 18,000 Syrian mercenaries, including 350 children under the age of 18, of whom 10,750 returned to Syria after receiving their financial dues.

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Pezeshkian: Iran Wants a Strong, Independent Iraq

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian places a wreath at the site of Qassem Soleimani’s assassination in Baghdad, Iraq (EPA)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian places a wreath at the site of Qassem Soleimani’s assassination in Baghdad, Iraq (EPA)
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Pezeshkian: Iran Wants a Strong, Independent Iraq

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian places a wreath at the site of Qassem Soleimani’s assassination in Baghdad, Iraq (EPA)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian places a wreath at the site of Qassem Soleimani’s assassination in Baghdad, Iraq (EPA)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian began his foreign tour with a visit to Iraq, where he signed agreements focusing on security and the economy. The two countries also aimed to find new ways to handle debt payments and share water resources.

After arriving in Baghdad, Pezeshkian visited the site of Qassem Soleimani’s assassination and laid a wreath there, a gesture that has become a common practice for Iranian officials visiting the city since 2021.

Soleimani, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' top commander, was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad airport in 2020.

Iraqi state television showed Pezeshkian and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani at the reception ceremony, which featured both national anthems. Pezeshkian met with Sudani and the Iraqi President at two locations in the Green Zone.

He was also set to meet with other officials and party leaders before continuing his visit to the Kurdistan region, Basra, Najaf, and Karbala.

Pezeshkian is scheduled to travel to Sulaymaniyah and lay a wreath at the grave of the late President Jalal Talabani, according to an Iranian official.

Sudani called the relationship with Tehran “strong and solid” during a press conference with Pezeshkian. He noted that the two countries’ security forces are working together to secure borders and prevent smuggling.

Pezeshkian said Iran needs new security agreements with Iraq, as both countries face the same threats.

Sudani reiterated that Iraq will not allow its land to be used for actions that could threaten Iran’s security.

Tehran’s main concern is the presence of armed Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in the Kurdistan region.

Baghdad recently closed many of these groups’ offices and removed them from the border area. Iraq’s National Security Advisor Qassem al-Araji said there are plans to resettle these groups in a third country with UN coordination.

In March 2023, Iraq and Iran signed a security agreement after Iran attacked Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq.

Since then, both countries agreed to disarm these groups and keep them away from the border. Tehran accuses them of getting weapons from Iraq and inciting protests following the death of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in September 2022.

On his part, Pezeshkian stressed that Iran wants a “strong, stable, secure, and independent Iraq.”