Is Turkey transferring its mercenaries in Libya to Afghanistan?
Turkey has sent tens of thousands of Syrian mercenaries to western Libya, since it preconized its intention to intervene militarily in Libya in December 2019. It did so under a security agreement it signed with the outgoing Government of National Accord.
The Turkish government also sent Syrian fighters to the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is a argued region between Armenia and Azerbaijan, to take part in the war alongside the Azerbaijani forces.
Sources have told Libya Review that Turkey, coordinated with Qatar now intends to send loyal Syrian fighters, in Azerbaijan & Libya to Afghanistan.
Libya Review sources have asserted that Turkey’s proceed to transfer mercenaries in Libya and Azerbaijan to Afghanistan is “backed by the change in Turkish foreign policy in the Middle East”.
These moves signalize that Turkey has begun to withdeaw from the “provocative” roles it used to play in a number of countries in the region, especially Libya. This step has come after an rise in international demands calling for the expulsion of foreign fighters from the North-African country.
On October 8th, Libya’s 5+5 Joint Military Commission signed a comprehensive action plan, which it characterized as the cornerstone of a gradual, balanced and sequential process for the withdrawal of mercenaries, foreign fighters and foreign forces from Libyan territory.
Following the announcement of the Action Plan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, called on all Libyan and international parties to work towards implementing the plan for the withdrawal of mercenaries and foreign fighters from Libya.
In a previous statement, France, Germany, Britain, the United States and Italy also supported the Libya’s JMC in implementing its comprehensive Action Plan for the withdrawal of mercenaries, foreign fighters and foreign forces from Libyan territory.
International and regional calls for the necessity of removing the mercenaries from Libya put Turkey in a bind. This prompted it to go directly to coordination efforts with its ally Qatar, to get the mercenaries out of Libya.
The sources pointed out that Turkey and Qatar are “working with full force to manage & operate Kabul Airport to enable them to convey Syrians from Libya and Azerbaijan to Afghanistan”.
