The contradictory president: Erdogan admits killing and injuring of in Libya

Mouaz Mohammad

Despite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s denial of the presence of his country’s soldiers on Libyan soil, especially after the Berlin conference, on January 20, 2020, he admitted Saturday, February 22, 2020, of killings in Tripoli.

“We are present with our soldiers and the Syrian National Army in Libya, we are fighting the forces of Haftar and the Libyan Army. We have some people who died there,” he said, stressing: “We have left about 100 dead and wounded.”

According to Russia’s website today, the Turkish president stressed that his country’s policies in Syria and Libya “are neither an adventure nor a futile option,” adding that “if we evade the struggle in Syria, Libya, the Mediterranean and the whole region, the price will be high in the future.”

Getting lost is an essential feature

Erdogan has been known to be confused and paradoxical in all of his statements, especially when conditions are worsening around him. On January 20, 2020, Turkish TV station NTV quoted him as saying that his country had not sent troops to Libya yet, but rather sent military advisers and trainers only, although he announced it a few days earlier.

This confirms the contradiction of the Turkish President, that he announced on January 8, 2020, according to the local newspaper, Hurriyet, that his country sent 35 soldiers to Libya in support of the Tripoli government, stating that they would not participate in the battles.

It appears that Erdogan at this time, wanted to clear his country by declaring that there is no military presence on Libyan soil, to prevent his country from being criticized and punished, especially since the provisions of the final text of the Berlin Conference, among them was the call to the Security Council to impose appropriate sanctions on those who prove their violation of the ceasefire arrangements, in addition to urging all international actors not to interfere in Libyan affairs.

Recognizing the master of evidence

Before Erdogan recognized that, many of the reports and videos circulated monitored, the transfer of Ankara by Syrian mercenaries to fight in Libya, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, on December 26, 2019, revealed the opening of 4 centers to attract fighters within the headquarters of the armed groups supported by Ankara in Damascus, to encourage its fighters to join the war in Tripoli by offering them financial temptations.

Not only did the Turkish president’s admission include his presence on Libyan territory, but despite his stress on “not participating in the battles”, he affirmed, “We have left about 100 dead and wounded,” which confirms his involvement in the blood that was shed in Tripoli, in partnership with the Fayez al-Sarraj government, which is supported in the fight against the Libyan army, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter.