The Libyan National Army (LNA) has secretly released seven Turkish soldiers captured by LNA forces in Tripoli over two years ago, a source told The Libya Update.
The release of the Turkish soldiers, who were extradited back to Ankara, was achieved with mediation from the United States and an Arabian Gulf state, which the source declined to name.
According to the source, the release of those soldiers comes ahead of bilateral talks between the LNA and Turkey, which would take place in Ankara and Benghazi.
Since January 2020, Turkish troops were deployed to Libya to intervene in the country’s civil war against the LNA, which launched a military campaign in western Libya a year prior.
Libya’s warring parties agreed to a ceasefire deal in October 2020, which stipulates that all foreign forces must leave the country within a six-month period. However, Turkey refuses to leave Libya under the pretext that its military presence in the country is legal.