The quarterly report on counter-terrorism operations in Africa published by the US Defense Department detailed Turkish involvement in Libya's war.
According to report, Turkey sent between 3,500 and 3,800 Syrian mercenaries to Libya over the first three months of the year. It says Turkey paid and offered citizenship to thousands of mercenaries fighting alongside Tripoli-based militias against troops of the Libyan National Army led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
Despite widespread reports of the fighters' extremist links, the report says the US military found no evidence to suggest the mercenaries were affiliated with ISIS or Al Qaeda. It says they were "very likely" motivated by generous financial packages rather than ideology or politics.
Turkey also sent an "unknown number" of Turkish soldiers during the first months of the year, the report said.
To the consternation of regional rivals and Nato allies such as France, Turkey is staking its hopes for greater influence in the eastern Mediterranean on the government in Tripoli.
Egypt, which shares a porous desert border with Libya, has threatened military intervention if the Turkish-backed forces try to seize Sirte.
More than 18,000 Syrian militants have been deployed by Turkey in Libya to support the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) since late 2019. Thousands have so far returned to their country. However, many others are still deployed there.
The situation in Libya has been calm for almost a year now. The intra-Libyan talks are advancing. Yet, Turkey is not withdrawing its proxies from the country.
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