tank
© AFP/BULENT KILICTurkish army tank near Syrian border
The office of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) officially requested Turkey's military aid.

The head of the Russian Contact Group for the intra-Libyan settlement, Lev Dengov, confirmed that GNA officially requested military aid - "air, sea, ground" support - from Turkey.

Earlier in the day, several media reported that Tripoli-based GNA had made a formal request.
"Yes, it is true. The office of GNA confirmed that it had officially asked Turkey for military aid — air, sea, ground," Dengov said.
Earlier, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan stated that Ankara is still ready to consider the possibility of sending troops to Libya if such a request is made by the Government of National Accord.

On 21 December, the Turkish parliament ratified an agreement on military cooperation signed with Libya's Tripoli-based government.

In November, Turkey signed a memorandum on military cooperation with the Tripoli-based administration, triggering a backlash from the rival Tobruk-based government in the east. Among other things, the document provides for military support between the sides.

Libya has been split between two rival governments since 2011 when its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed, with Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) controlling the east and the Government of National Accord controlling the country's west.