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Pentagon: Turkey’s deployment to Libya threatens escalation

The United States' top military officer in Africa has warned that Ankara's decision to send troops to Libya "risks a significant escalation."
Smoke rises during a fight between members of the Libyan internationally recognised government forces and Eastern forces, in southern Tripoli, Libya June 22, 2019. REUTERS/Yosri al-Jamal - RC1D2EB356B0

Turkey’s deployment of troops to war-torn Libya to head off the threat of private Russian military contractors threatens a significant escalation in the months-long conflict, the top US military officer in Africa said today.

Africa Command chief Gen. Stephen Townsend said the ongoing fighting in the country has left the international community “paralyzed” with “no real progress toward a political solution.”

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