Approved! Turkish Troops Deployed to Libya

The Turkish parliament has approved President Erdogan's request to send troops into Libya.

President Erdogan is eager to support the United Nations recognized government in Tripoli as it faces threats from military commander Khalifa Haftar.

The Turkish president sent a bill for approval to parliament to support embattled United Nations-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).

Although there was sharp criticism from opposition legislators, President Erdogan was able to get enough support which earned him approval.

Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop said on today that the legislation passed with a 325-184 vote.

The government has not revealed details about the possible Turkish deployment. The motion allows the government to decide on the scope, amount and timing of any mission.

Critics argue that the decision would further open Libya to further exploitation, claiming that the African Union (AU) should have sent more troops into Libya instead.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party and its allies hold a parliamentary majority. All opposition parties in the assembly voted against the bill.

According to reports by Al Jazeera, following the announcement, United States President, Donald Trump warned Erdogan against any "interference" in Libya in a telephone call.

Trump "pointed out that foreign interference is complicating the situation in Libya," White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement.

Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) launched an offensive in April, but their advances were brought to a standstill by pro-government troops along the city's southern outskirts.

However, the reported introduction of Russian mercenaries from the private Wagner group in September upended the balance of power. It allowed LNA troops to seize control of critical towns south of Tripoli.

Alongside an increase in the number of UAE air raids in support of Haftar, the Russian developments seem to have emboldened Erdogan and hastened Turkey's intervention, which in the past was limited to the sale of military equipment.

"It wouldn't be right for us to remain silent against all of this," Erdogan said in December, referring to the presence of Russian fighters.

Since longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi died in 2011, Libya has not had a stable government.

"If Libya falls under Haftar, an ally of the United Arab Emirates, which is, in turn, antagonistic to Turkey, this essentially puts all of the Turkish maritime interests at the mercy of the UAE, Egypt, Greece and possibly Italy."

But to intervene without coordinating with Russia would put the two countries on a collision course, a scenario that both want to avoid, Hamdi said.

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Header Image Credit: Hasan Namli/Anadolu