Haftar threatens Erdoğan, says they won't accept a 'second Turkish invasion' of Libya

Photo: AA/File

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Khalifa Haftar, who leads the Libyan National Army (LNA) in the war against the Ankara-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) has said that "Libyans would never accept being occupied by Turks and to be colonized again."

"The Turks stayed in Libya for 300 years and the Libyans saw nothing but evil," he said, referring to the time when the country was Ottoman Empire's territory.

In a speech shared on social media by LNA spokesperson Ahmed al-Mismari, Haftar accused President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of "coming to Libya in search of his ancestors' legacy."

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"We tell him that 'We have turned the legacy of your ancestors into bullets," he remarked. "There will be no mercy for Turkish forces because they don't deserve mercy."

After signing a military pact with the GNA in late 2019, Turkey has sent military personnel, equipment, including drones and artillery, and Syrian fighters to Libya to support the Tripoli government.

Ankara's intervention helped the GNA repel attacks on the capital, as well as capture several cities from the LNA.

In his speech, Haftar also mentioned the combatant groups from Syria, whom he called "mercenaries who don't have families or a homeland."

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights last week reported that the number of fighters Turkey sent from Syria to Libya reached 16,500. (PT/VK)