MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2020) Turkey's deployment of mercenaries to Libya continues until this day, with some 14,000 to 15,000 freelancers serving on the side of the Government of National Accord (GNA) in the country's west, Aguila Saleh, the parliamentary speaker for the Tobruk-based government, told Sputnik.
"According to our information, the last transfer [of mercenaries] took place two days ago," Saleh said.
When asked about whether Tobruk had any information regarding the numbers, Aguila estimated "between 14,000 and 15,000 so far."
Reports about Turkey's transfer of mercenaries, mostly from northern Syria, to fight on the side of their GNA allies made worldwide headlines in January. Neither the Berlin conference on Libya nor subsequent followup meetings and negotiations have slowed Turkey's involvement in the war-torn country.
For almost a decade, Libya has been split between two rival administrations, the UN-recognized western-based government, backed by Turkey, and the Tobruk-based parliament, supported by the Libyan National Army.
