Clare Lopez, a foreign and anti-terrorism expert, said that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is using the world’s preoccupation to tackle the Coronavirus epidemic in order to achieve his goals in Libya, adding that fighting the pandemic is keeping Europeans busy now while Erdogan is taking advantage of this situation to achieve gains in Libya.
Lopez added, for the “USL” program on 218News TV Channel, that the US administration is silent about Erdogan’s role in Libya because it is also focusing on the Coronavirus pandemic, stressing that Americans are more concerned about the Turkish role in Libya than the Russian one.
“I fear that Libya will turn into another Syria because of the presence of Turkey and Russia on its soil.” Lopez added.
Mercenaries and Coronavirus
On Turkey’s transfer of Syrian mercenaries to Libya, Lopez indicated that these fighters may transmit the Coronavirus to Libya, stressing that the US has learned that up to 4000 Syrian mercenaries are in Libya.
She noted that the US administration is concerned about the spread of the virus among refugee camps, saying sending mercenaries to Libya is another way to spread the virus, and explained that with the Coronavirus pandemic, it is urgent that the parties to this conflict meet and find some way to resolve the crisis. She also stressed the importance for Libyan leaders to give priority to stopping military operations due to current conditions.
Erdogan and the Terrorists
The foreign and anti-terrorism expert said that Turkey is trying to return Tunisian terrorists who may end up in Libya, indicating that sending terrorists who were in Syria to Libya may threaten Europe and US national security.
She noted that Erdogan, Qatar and the Government of National Accord are paying the salaries of Erdogan’s mercenaries in Libya, explaining that “Erdogan is a dangerous person. The AKP is also dangerous.”
Lopez saw that the administration’s massive mistake in the United States was to support jihadist forces, and to support al-Qaeda and Muslim Brotherhood militias to topple Muammar Gaddafi.
Erdogan’s Greed
Clare Lopez explained that Erdogan considers the cross-border operations of the Turkish forces in Idlib province as “jihad” against the Kurds, indicating that “the speech of jihad” has been in the narrative of Erdogan’s party for a long time, and now Erdogan is using his statements about the Ottoman Empire to justify his intervention in Libya.
She said, “The Justice and Development Party is a party of the Muslim Brotherhood. If we listen to Erdogan’s words, then he is fighting on behalf of Islam, and he says that the Islamic faith obligates Muslim leaders to jihad.”
The US and Libya
Clare Lopez said there is no division within the Trump administration about American policy in Libya, as attention and resources are all devoted to other regions, stressing that the appointment of the American diplomat, Stephanie Williams, isn’t meant to push the administration to engage more in the Libyan file, as the United States sees Libya as Europe’s problem.
Lopez pointed out that it is important for the US to pay attention to what is happening in North Africa, especially Libya, which has become a “totally failed country”.
