Erdogan Ignores Casualties in Libya

On February 18 top mass media outlets and officials, including the head of the UN support mission in Libya Ghassan Salame, have confirmed the fact of Libyan national army shelling Tripoli seaport. The marshal Khalifa Haftar’s artillery attacked the Turkish vessel transporting arms and military equipment for Government of National Accord.

It was the first direct confrontation between the Libyan Marshal and the Turkish Sultan. This impudent step of Libyans obviously discouraged Erdogan. Ankara did not expect that Haftar will have enough courage to direct trunks towards Turks.

When Erdogan got a sanction from the Turkish parliament to send national troops to Libya for support of his puppet government of Fayez al Sarraj, he thought it would be a ‘piece of cake’. But as usual, everything went wrong, and risky military operation immediately turned a carnage for the Turks from the beginning.

The informed sources from the GNA claim that the latest LNA artillery strike inflicted significant damage for the military equipment supplied for GNA and also eliminated six high-ranking Turkish officers. One of them is a colonel of the Turkish military intelligence Okhan who supervises arms delivery for the Tripoli-based government. Besides, the deputy commander of the Turkish troops in Libya Brig. Gen. Khalil Soysal also known as ‘a black claw’, his personal assistant and the General Staff Colonel Kemal were wounded.

Erdogan is trying to hide a real death toll of the Turkish military personnel in Libya. It is especially obvious in comparison with the glorification of the Turkish soldiers who have died during military operations in Syria. Ankara insists that Turks do not participate in military operations in Libya, and carry out only functions of instructors and advisers. At the same time ignoring of losses demonstrates that the battle capacity of the Turkish army is extremely overpriced, and Erdogan is doing his best to keep the image of “the great Ottoman warlord” which he has been trying to create for a long time.

The petty tyranny of the Turkish leader costs much to both Turkey and the entire region. In an attempt to implement imperial intentions and please his Libyan Islamists friends, Erdogan endangers the elite bulk of national Armed Forces, turning a blind eye to losses. It remains a matter of time when The Turkish military reminds him of his neglectful attitude. But when this moment will come, his regional neighbours, keeping in mind the former tricks of the Turkish leader, won’t miss a chance to revenge on a would-be sultan.