Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar has threatened to attack Turkish interests and accused Ankara of backing his rivals after he suffered a major setback in his push to take the capital Tripoli. Anti-Haftar forces that nominally back Libya's internationally recognised government announced Wednesday they had retaken the strategic town of Gharyan in a surprise attack, seizing Haftar's main supply base for his months-long offensive.
Haftar on Saturday promised a "tough response" and accused militias backing the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord of executing his wounded troops at the town's hospital-allegations refuted by both the GNA and authorities in Gharyan.
Dozens of pro-Haftar fighters were killed in the clashes some 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of the capital, with at least 18 taken prisoner, a GNA spokesman said. AFP correspondents who toured Gharyan were shown signs of a hasty retreat by Haftar's forces, who left behind their wounded, a command post, arms, ammunition and even food burning on stoves.
"The speed (of the attack), the surprise element and the revolt (by the area's residents) sowed fear" in the ranks of Haftar's fighters, General Ahmad Bouchahma, a senior GNA officer, said during a tour of the area. Among the weaponry the GNA says it seized were US-made Javelin anti-tank missiles packed in wooden crates marked "armed forces of the United Arab Emirates", a major buyer of American weapons and one of Haftar's main international backers.
The US State Department said Saturday it was looking into the missile find. "We take all allegations of misuse of US origin defence articles very seriously," a spokesperson said on condition of anonymity. "We are aware of these reports and are seeking additional information." In retaliation for the defeat, Haftar ordered his self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) to target Turkish ships and companies, ban flights and arrest Turkish nationals in the country, his spokesman said.
General Ahmed al-Mesmari accused Ankara of "directly" helping GNA forces "with its soldiers, planes and ships". He also accused Gharyan residents of "treason". The LNA, which holds eastern Libya and much of the country's south, seized Gharyan two days before launching its offensive on Tripoli in early April. Its initial lightning advance was quickly brought to a standstill in Tripoli's southern outskirts as GNA-aligned militias rushed to defend the capital.