Haftar militias use defaced Erdoğan picture, Turkish flag as 'target practice'

Militias belonging to the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), loyal to warlord Khalifa Haftar, who is attempting to overthrow the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in the west, conducted a controversial military drill in which Turkey and the country's government were targeted.

During the military exercises, Haftar forces used pictures depicting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Turkey's national flag on an "enemy chart."

Images from the site show a photograph of Turkish President Erdoğan with a footprint stamped over his face and a Turkish flag placed side by side on an iron plate.

The militias stepped on the torn-up pictures strewn on the ground following seizure of the region determined within the scope of the exercise, according to reports.

On Nov. 27, 2019, Ankara and Tripoli signed two memorandums of understanding on military cooperation and maritime boundaries of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Based in the capital Tripoli and currently led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, the Government of National Accord was founded in 2015 under the UN-led agreement. But efforts for a long-term political settlement, which are currently underway, have failed due to a military offensive launched by forces loyal to warlord Khalifa Haftar.