Haftar Orders Sinking Of Turkish Ships In Wake Of Ankara-Tripoli Deal - LNA Navy Chief

The Libyan National Army's (LNA) Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar has ordered his forces to sink Turkish ships in the wake of a recent maritime borders memorandum signed between Ankara and the rival Tripoli-based Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), Adm. Faraj Mahdawi, chief of the LNA's navy, said on Wednesday

ATHENS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th December, 2019) The Libyan National Army's (LNA) Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar has ordered his forces to sink Turkish ships in the wake of a recent maritime borders memorandum signed between Ankara and the rival Tripoli-based Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), Adm. Faraj Mahdawi, chief of the LNA's navy, said on Wednesday.

On November 28, Turkey and the GNA signed a landmark deal that demarcated borders in the Mediterranean Sea, prompting an outcry from neighboring Greece, Cyprus and Egypt. The agreement, according to Athens, violates the sovereign rights of those countries. After the memorandum was inked, Greece expelled the Libyan ambassador and began to strengthen ties with Haftar.

"We have an order from the army commander to sink [Turkish ships], there is no other choice," Mahdawi said in an interview with the Greek Skai broadcaster.

The Libyan navy commander added that the capture of Tripoli would occur in several days.

"In a few days, we will enter Tripoli. And when we enter, [GNA head Fayez] Sarraj will leave Libya, and this agreement [with Turkey] will not pass," the admiral said.

According to the media outlet, Haftar's army is just two miles away from Tripoli, and the GNA risks losing its last stronghold, while its opponents are gaining strength.

Haftar supporters accuse Ankara of supplying Tripoli with weapons and violating the UN sanctions regime.

Two rival governments, the internationally-recognized GNA and the east-Libyan government backed by the LNA, have split the country in half. Haftar first launched the campaign to capture Tripoli in April.