Turkey says Tripoli government has not asked yet for troop deployment

Mevlut Cavusoglu

DUBAI (Reuters) - Libya has not made a request to Turkey for sending troops to back forces of the internationally-recognized government battling Khalifa Haftar’s Libya National Army (LNA), Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday.

“No, not yet” Cavusoglu said when asked at the Doha Forum if such a request had been made.

President Tayyip Erdogan said last week that Turkey could send troops to Libya if the Tripoli-based government of Fayez al-Serraj requested it, following a security and military deal between the two countries.