Libya: How Sarraj Tells Lies About Talks with Pompeo

The Government of National Accord, headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, told the people of Libya lies about content of the latest phone conversation between the GNA militia head and the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.

According to the U.S. State Department, Pompeo assured Sarraj of the United States' opposition to the continued flow of arms and ammunition into Libyan territory.

The U.S. secretary stressed the importance of an immediate end to the fighting, and a return to political dialogue.

[caption id="attachment_107796" align="aligncenter" width="989"] U.S. secretary of State Mike Pompeo[/caption]

As for the GNA statement, it did not point out to Pompeo's opposition to the flow of weapons into the country. But it read that Sarraj and Pompeo talked about coordinating efforts in combating terrorism, which was not mentioned in the statement of the U.S. State Department.

Pompeo's statement did not name the country that sends arms to Libya, but Turkish arms and mercenary support for the Tripoli government has become known to everyone.

Ankara signed a security agreement with Sarraj last November, and accordingly, last month, it sent at least 100 Turkish officers to Libya, as well as drones, ships and air defenses, according to Sky News Arabia.

On the other hand, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has documented the arrival of more than 9,000 mercenary militants from Syria to Libya via Turkey, to fight alongside the Tripoli militias against the Libyan National Army, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

Sarraj Counts on Lies to Survive

The Libyan political researcher Radwan Al-Fitouri said that Sarraj “backs his positions by lies," saying that the Tripoli government is "brilliant in telling lies.”

Al-Fitouri said in statements to Sky News Arabia, on Saturday, that the Tripoli militias "use brigands of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and they neither are brave nor real men.”

He continued: "What was the result of this call on the ground? The country is filled with mercenaries. Erdogan interfered heavily in the western region. Al-Sarraj presented Libya on a plate of gold to Erdogan."

[caption id="attachment_97217" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Al-Sarraj, head of GNA in Libya, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan[/caption]

However, Al-Fitouri believes that the call "may be signs of withdrawing the alleged confidence in Fayez al-Sarraj, which the international community was involved in.”

The Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Hafter, is seeking to rid the capital Tripoli of the grip of extremist militias backed by mercenaries and Turkish weapons.

The LNA has been waging for months an intense military campaign, during which it made several gains at the expense of the militants affiliated with the Sarraj militias.

Turkey Exploits Syrians, Move them to Libya

The Syrian Observatory (SOHR) monitored last week the arrival of a new batch of “mercenaries backed by Turkey” to Libyan territory to participate in military operations alongside the militias affiliated to the GNA against the Libyan National Army.

The new batch includes hundreds of fighters from the pro-Turkey Syrian factions, thus reaching the number of recruits those who have reached Libyan territory so far, about 9,600 mercenaries, including a non-Syrian group.  The number of recruits who arrived in the Turkish camps to receive training amounted to about 3,300.

It is worth noting that among the total number of recruits, there are about 180 children between the ages of 16 and 18, most of them from the “Sultan Murad” armed faction, who were recruited to fight in Libya through a process of material temptation to fully exploit the difficult living situation and poverty situations.

[caption id="attachment_103135" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Commander Khalifa Haftar- File Photo[/caption]

In a related context, SOHR documented more deaths among the pro-Turkey mercenaries as a result of the battles taking place on several axes inside the Libyan territories, pointing out to raising the death toll among the pro-Turkish factions due to the military operations in Libya, to 304 fighters, including 17 children under the age of 18.

The dead belong to the factions of “Al-Mu’tasim Brigade, Sultan Murad Brigade, Northern Falcons Brigade, Hamzat, and Suleiman Shah,” according to the SOHR’s sources.