Putschist General Khalifa Haftar’s forces claimed late Monday that they had intercepted a Turkish ship flying a Jamaican flag on its way to the port of Misrata in western Libya.
Turkey is the main foreign supporter of the internationally recognized government of the National Accord (GNA) in the West, which has been fighting the Haftar-led East Libyan National Army (LNA) for years.
LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said the commercial cargo ship, the Mabrouka, had a crew of 17, including nine Turkish nationals, and containers that had not yet been inspected. LNA forces stopped the ship near the eastern port of Derna, he said.
The militia claims that the ship entered a forbidden area and did not answer calls before retreating to the port of Ras al-Hilal.
The spokesman also told the TV channel Al-Hadath that the ship was carrying drugs intended for Misrata but had entered the restricted area.
With the claim that they called the ship but did not receive an answer, Mismari said: “We approached the boat and boarded it.”
The captain did not follow the procedures, and the ship entered the forbidden area without permission, he said, adding that there were no weapons on board.
According to information from Anadolu Agency (AA), the crew is in good condition.
Sources said that the procedure has been applied to other ships in the region, but no ships have been seized and that a penalty was planned to enter the restricted area.
GNA and LNA signed a ceasefire agreement in October, and the UN has conducted a political dialogue focused on elections next year as a solution to Libya’s protracted conflict.
Libya has been embroiled in strife since the late leader Moammar Gadhafi was ousted in 2011.
The new government was formed four years later in 2015 under a UN-led agreement, but efforts for a long-term political solution have so far failed due to Haftar’s military offensive.
Since April 2019, Haftar’s forces have launched attacks on Tripoli and other parts of northwestern Libya, resulting in more than 1,000 deaths, including civilians. Haftar has the support of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Russia, while the UN-recognized government is supported by Turkey and Qatar.
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