Libyan National Army (LNA)’s spokesperson Ahmed Al-Mismari called upon the international community on Wednesday to launch an investigation into Turkish weapon shipments repeatedly seized at Libyan ports.
“A large amount of funding has been provided to terrorists in Turkey, which became a base for launching terrorist operations and a media platform that broadcasts messages against Libya and its army,” Mismari said during a press conference in Benghazi.
He added that Libya has led investigations to reveal more details about the senders and the recipients of large amounts of weapons and ammunition seized at Misurata and Khoms ports recently.
He also claimed that funds were smuggled from Libya to Turkey in the form of investments.
Mismari emphasized that the Libyan Army should be supported as it is “the only entity able to achieve security in Libya.”
On Monday, the Libyan authorities announced that an attempt to smuggle a shipment of Turkish arms into Libya through the port of Misurata was foiled, marking “another violation by Turkey” of the U.N. resolution banning the sale and transfer of arms to Libya.
The Misurata port’s customs office said in a statement that it had “managed to seize a shipment of weapons containing Turkish pistols inside a container with some household items and children’s toys used as camouflage.”
It added that 556 cartons, each containing 36 pistols, which is equivalent to about 20,000 pistols, were seized.
On 18 December, the LNA announced seizing Turkish weapons and ammunition believed to be related to the ongoing assassinations and violence in Tripoli.
On the same day, the Customs Authority announced that a large amount of weapons and ammunition smuggled from Turkey were seized by customs employees at Khoms port.
