Turkey Warns Egypt of ‘Military Adventure’ in Libya
Story Code : 876125
Top security adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ibrahim Kalin, issued the warning in an interview with Reuters news agency on Wednesday after the Egyptian parliament gave a green light for possible military intervention in Libya.
Kalin underlined that any Egyptian deployment in the oil-rich African country would hamper efforts to end the conflict and would be risky for Cairo, saying, "I believe it will be a dangerous military adventure for Egypt."
Libya has been beset by chaos since the overthrow and killing of its long-serving ruler Muammar Gaddafi following a NATO operation in 2011.
The conflict has escalated into a regional proxy war fueled by foreign powers pouring weapons and mercenaries into the country.
Tensions escalated further last year after the so-called Libyan National Army [LNA] under rebel commander Khalifa Haftar moved toward Tripoli to seize the city, which was repelled by Libyan government forces.
The UN-backed Libyan government in Tripoli has the support of Turkey, while the LNA based in Benghazi is supported by Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
A big escalation in Libya could risk igniting a direct conflict among the foreign powers that have poured in weapons and fighters in violation of an arms embargo.