Turkey Pulls out Some Mercenaries from Libya

Libyan youths are seen at the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. (Reuters)
Libyan youths are seen at the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. (Reuters)
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Turkey Pulls out Some Mercenaries from Libya

Libyan youths are seen at the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. (Reuters)
Libyan youths are seen at the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. (Reuters)

A batch of foreign mercenaries has been flown out of Libya, revealed sources at Tripoli’s Mitiga airport.

Some 120 pro-Turkey mercenaries, who had been flown in from Syria, departed Tripoli on Sunday as security forces in the capital kicked off a plan to secure the capital.

The mercenaries were flown to Turkey ahead of their return to Syrian regions under Ankara’s control, added the sources.

The security plan will see the deployment of various patrols inside Tripoli and at its vital installations.

Neither the new Government of National Unity (GNU) nor Turkey commented on the withdrawal.

Informed sources said, however, that the pullout “is part of a regional understanding aimed at ending the presence of mercenaries in Libya.”

Part of this understanding was struck during negotiations between Egypt, Turkey, Russia and the United States.

The Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Khalifa Haftar, did not comment on the development. Officials from the military stated that they were “aware of an agreement to deport the mercenaries.”

They welcomed the move, saying it meets the demands of the LNA to end the military presence of Turkey, mercenaries and their loyalists in Libya.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the deported mercenaries were members of the Sultan Murad Division. The war monitor spoke of the “deplorable” conditions the mercenaries had to put up with in Libya, adding that they have not been receiving their monthly wages.

Separately, the European Union slapped sanctions on Monday on Mohammed Khalifa al-Kani, leader of the notorious al-Kaniyat militia, and his brother Abderrahim al-Kani, a member of the same militia. Both are accused of committing extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances between 2015 and June 2020 in the town of Tarhuna, which they had controlled for years.

Since their escape from Tarhuna last summer following a military defeat, dozens of mass graves have been discovered and attributed to al-Kaniyat militiamen. Last year, the US Treasury targeted al-Kaniyat and its leader over the same alleged crimes.

Meanwhile, parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh made a surprise visit to Cairo on Sunday for talks with Egyptian officials over the formation of a parliamentary committee that would pave the way for nominations for candidates to sovereign positions.



SDF Offers Tribes in Syria’s Deir Ezzor Role in Talks, Right to Name Governor

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi meets with Deir Ezzor delegates. (SDF)
SDF commander Mazloum Abdi meets with Deir Ezzor delegates. (SDF)
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SDF Offers Tribes in Syria’s Deir Ezzor Role in Talks, Right to Name Governor

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi meets with Deir Ezzor delegates. (SDF)
SDF commander Mazloum Abdi meets with Deir Ezzor delegates. (SDF)

Arab tribal leaders, who took part in recent meetings with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Autonomous Administration in northeast Syria, said they were offered a greater role in governing Deir Ezzor province and a seat at the table in any future talks with the Damascus government, according to tribal sources.

The meetings, held at the US-led coalition’s base in al-Shaddadi, south of Hasakah, were led by SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and senior officials from the Kurdish-led administration.

Discussions centered on the latest international efforts to revive dialogue with Damascus, including Abdi’s talks with the French foreign minister and US Syria envoy in Paris, as well as earlier meetings in Amman.

At the heart of the discussions was a March 1 agreement between Abdi and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa that envisages integrating the SDF and local governing bodies into Syrian state institutions by the end of the year.

Tribal sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that leaders were presented with a proposal consisting of three main elements: first, a formal role for Arab tribes in upcoming negotiations with Damascus; second, a 50% quota for tribal figures from eastern, northern, and western Deir Ezzor - areas under SDF influence - in a newly structured provincial council, with nominees selected in coordination between tribal elders and the SDF.

The third clause would give Arab tribes the authority to name the governor of Deir Ezzor, replacing the current system of presidential appointment.

In a statement following the meeting, the SDF said Abdi had assured Deir Ezzor residents that local civilian and military bodies would have a say in any future settlement with the Syrian government, emphasizing that the SDF remained the “guarantor of stability and security” and would continue its mission without hesitation.

Abdi also reportedly clarified that the handover of Deir Ezzor’s institutions, civilian and military alike, to the government would be limited to those that operated in SDF-controlled areas prior to the fall of the former regime at the end of last year. Similar arrangements would later extend to the cities of Raqqa and Hasakah.

According to the sources, Abdi stressed that the SDF had no intention of surrendering territory or dismantling the Autonomous Administration. Instead, any rapprochement with Damascus would be based on mutual understandings and a comprehensive integration process acceptable to both sides.

Committees from both the SDF and the administration are expected to meet with government officials in the coming days to push forward with the plan.

During the transitional phase, local councils and security agencies under the Autonomous Administration in Deir Ezzor will continue operating normally, with a view to developing a new, participatory administrative system at the provincial level.

Observers say Abdi’s remarks point to a possible breakthrough in efforts to incorporate the SDF as a unified bloc within the Syrian Ministry of Defense, alongside the integration of administrative institutions into the broader state framework. These understandings remain in their early stages, however, and a final deal is yet to be reached.

A planned follow-up meeting in Paris on July 25 between Syrian government officials and an Autonomous Administration delegation was postponed at the request of Damascus, which informed the SDF through the US-led coalition that a new date would be set soon.

Meanwhile, for the third consecutive day, unknown gunmen have targeted SDF positions in Deir Ezzor countryside, despite the presence of coalition forces.

On Monday, two assailants on a motorcycle fired at an SDF military vehicle near the town of al-Sour in northern Deir Ezzor, causing material damage but no casualties, according to an SDF military source and local residents.

A similar attack on Sunday struck an SDF outpost in the nearby village of Ruwaished, leading to a brief exchange of fire but no injuries. On Saturday, the SDF reported one of its fighters was killed and another wounded when gunmen believed to be ISIS sympathizers attacked a vehicle in the village of al-Zar, east of Deir Ezzor.