Libyans celebrate Turkey’s decision to send troops

By Enes Canli

TRIPOLI (AA) - More than 1,000 people gathered Friday in Libya’s capital to celebrate Turkish parliament’s decision to send troops to Libya and to protest Gen. Khalifa Haftar.

They gathered in Martyr’s Square to protest attacks of Haftar’s militia and mercenary soldiers.

Demonstrators thanked Turkey for supporting Libya's UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) and expressed happiness about Turkey’s military motion.

Turkey's military motion on Libya attracted the attention by Tripoli residents who are happy the Turkish parliament Thursday ratified a motion authorizing sending troops to Libya.

"We thank to Turkey, Turkish people and Turkey’s president for defending independence, democracy and freedom," demonstrator Fethi Saad told Anadolu Agency. “Haftar shoots us and says ‘It is jihad’. Jihad against whom? He shoots us, Muslims.”

Protesters also accused the UN of being indifferent to what is happening in Tripoli and chanted against countries that support Haftar.

In April, Haftar's forces launched a military campaign to capture Tripoli from the internationally recognized government.

On Nov. 27, Ankara and Libya's GNA signed two separate pacts: one on military cooperation and the other on maritime boundaries of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011 when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of long-serving President Muammar Gaddafi after more than four decades in power.

Since then, Libya’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power -- one in Tobruk and another in Tripoli -- and a host of heavily-armed militia groups.

*Writing by Havva Kara Aydin