Turkish intervention in Libya could reproduce Syria scenario, experts warn

Military strongman General Khalifa Hifter, who has superior air power, is backed by Turkey’s regional rivals Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates

However, Turkish MPs passed a bill approving a military deployment in Libya to bolster the UN-recognised government of national accord in Tripoli

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Libyan protesters gather during a demonstration against the Turkish parliament’s decision to send Turkish forces to Libya. Photo: Reuters

Published: 1:27pm, 4 Jan 2020Updated: 9:52pm, 4 Jan 2020

Turkey’s decision to approve the deployment of troops to Libya risks plunging the North African nation deeper into a Syrian-style proxy war between regional powers including Russia, experts warn.

Libya has been mired in conflict since a Nato-backed uprising in 2011 toppled dictator Muammar Gaddafi, with rival administrations in the east and the west battling for supremacy.

Turkey and Qatar have taken the side of the UN-recognised government of national accord (GNA) in the capital Tripoli, which has been under sustained attack since April from the forces of eastern-based military strongman General Khalifa Hifter.

Hifter, who has superior air power, is backed by Turkey’s regional rivals Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

On Thursday, Turkish MPs passed a bill approving a military deployment in Libya to bolster the beleaguered GNA.

No date was given for the potential troop deployment, which would draw Ankara deeper into a conflict in which Hifter’s forces, who oppose Islamist movements close to Ankara, have the upper hand.

Ankara has already sent the GNA drones, according to the United Nations.