The GNA’s militias and Turkish forces backed by Syrian refugee-mercenaries in Libya are no match for the combined firepower of General Haftar’s LNA, allied militias, and a host of powerful countries, such as the UAE and Egypt, with Russian mercenaries added in for good measure. Yet, against all odds, with Haftar at the gates of the capital and ready to take control of Libya, the Turks have managed not only to halt his push into Tripoli but to force his retreat from key strategic areas. Nearly everyone was in Haftar’s corner in a conflict that featured a vast gathering of major external forces, all eyeing a piece of the balance of power in this post-Gaddafi oil-rich setup. Turkey has been successful largely by default, as Haftar’s allies have pressed the pause button. Erdogan has deployed surface-to-air missile defense systems to Libya, and that has been a bit of a […]