Libya’s Hafter Forces Have Killed 16 Turkish Soldiers in Recent Fighting

Erdogan claims 'hundreds' of Hafter fighters were killed

Forces loyal to Libyan General Khalifa Hafter’s self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) have engaged in several battles with the Turkish military in recent weeks, including in the port of Misrata and the southern town of al-Falah.

Reports said that 16 Turkish soldiers were killed in the course of this fighting. Turkey’s President Erdogan claimed “hundreds” of LNA fighters were killed in retaliation.

This would be the first confirmed Turkish engagement in Libya since Erdogan committed to joining that war. Whether this had really happened is unclear, as there were no individual reports of any of these incidents.

Information on what is going on inside Libya isn’t always available in a timely fashion, but if Erdogan’s claims of hundreds killed were true, that surely would’ve been reported before now.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.