Libya.. What is the role of Erdogan’s plans in the recent Tripoli battles?
Bloody clashes in Libya between armed factions over the past period Major bloody battles act as clear fingerprints of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan within the framework of Turkish plans to destabilize fragile Libya Fighting broke out in the area of Warshafle in western Tripoli which has been the scene of repeated clashes for 11 years of violence and chaos since the NATO-backed uprising toppled veteran ruler Muammar Gaddafi. The clashes came on the side of the control of a large pro-Dbeibeh group over a military headquarters in southern Tripoli, a week after the biggest war in Libya in two years, as Libyan armed factions fought in the western outskirts of Tripoli late on Friday night and Saturday morning, while forces allied with the government of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh consolidated their control over the capital.
Turkish plans
The latest fighting revealed that Turkey may be the key to sparking the crisis, after Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, the current Prime Minister, incited to ignite the crisis and supported his position of refusing to hand over power to Fathi Bashagha, who was appointed by the Council of Representatives as the head of the interim government. According to the English-language newspaper Arab Weekly, the newspaper said that Turkey’s appearance in the crisis raised questions about Erdogan’s plans in Libya, where Turkey maintains a military presence around Tripoli, with weapons, including drones that can play an important role in determining the outcome of any major war. It was also reported last week that Turkey used planes against factions supporting Bashagha.
Drones
According to the newspaper, diplomatic solutions to the Libyan crisis stalled late on Friday, and despite the appointment of Abdoulaye Bathily as the UN envoy to Libya, by a decision from the UN Secretary General António Guterres, but with a split in the UN Security Council, it is not clear how much influence Abdoulaye Bathily has in this position.
It added that the emergence of Turkey and its support for Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh revealed that Erdogan will not retreat from his plans in Libya after losing his influence in most Middle Eastern countries and the failure of his plans in Syria and Iraq. This is due to his weapons deployed in the Libyan capital, including drones, which can play a decisive role in tipping all pro-Ankara forces, and may be the main reason for the collapse of any political solution away from bloody battles and chaos.
