Libyan air force attacks Turkish ship
Turkey’s foreign policy was the real target when Libyan forces struck a Turkish freighter off the coast of Derne, killing one crew member and wounding five others.
Tensions between Turkey and Libya’s internationally recognized government are escalating to open animosity. Tuna-1, a freighter owned by a Turkish company registered in the Cook Islands, was hit on the evening of May 10 en route to Tobruk by Libyan government forces off the coast of Derne. Ilker Buyukdere, one of the 15-man crew, was killed and five others of Turkish and Georgian nationalities were wounded.
“We strongly denounce this heinous attack towards a civilian ship in international waters and we condemn those who carried out the attack," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
The Turkish navy dispatched two frigates to bring the ship to Turkey.
The Libyan air force command attached to the Tobruk-based government of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni announced it had hit the ship 10 miles (16 km) off the coast because it hadn’t heeded warnings not to approach Derne. “The Turkish ship violated our borders and was hit because it continued to sail despite our warnings,” said Sakr al-Jeroushi, commander of Libya's air force.
