The Libyan National Army (LNA) has shot down a Turkish drone in the southern part of Tripoli and announced that it views the aircraft's activity as a violation of the Libyan ceasefire, LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari said on Wednesday
BENGHAZI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th February, 2020) The Libyan National Army (LNA) has shot down a Turkish drone in the southern part of Tripoli and announced that it views the aircraft's activity as a violation of the Libyan ceasefire, LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari said on Wednesday.
Turkey has been strengthening its grip in the Libyan conflict by deploying its troops to support the LNA's rival the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) through a military accord. According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ankara seeks to protect the GNA from being overthrown and train its armed forces to combat terrorism, human trafficking and other security threats.
"The commander of the western military operations room, Maj. Gen. Al-Mabrouk Al-Ghazwi, confirms the downing of a Turkish drone in Tripoli's south this evening after its taking off from the Turkish base (at Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli)," the spokesman said in a press release, a copy of which was obtained by Sputnik.
Mismari added that the LNA considered such actions by Turkish forces as "a violation of the truce declared in the region."
A tentative truce came into force between Libya's warring parties on January 12, but an official ceasefire agreement has yet to be signed.
