Col. Abu Bakr al-Badri, a Libyan naval operations officer in the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, has claimed that the Turkish ship Amazon, which docked a few days ago in the capital city of Tripoli, was carrying a large number of terrorists, including mercenaries of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Hawar news website reported on Tuesday.
Al-Badri said at a press briefing published by the al-Karama Operations Room of the LNA that the shipment of armored vehicles was intended to disguise the real cargo, namely the terrorists.
The Turkish ship Amazon, coming from the Turkish port of Samsun, was loaded with terrorists, weapons, ammunition and military equipment, the report said.
Pictures and video footage showed the moment the shipment was received by the Katibet Liwa al-Semoud (al-Semoud Brigade Battalion) in preparation for an expanded operation.
The LNA later announced that it had imposed a naval embargo on ports in western Libya since Sunday evening, a move aimed at preventing the arrival of arms and military supplies to armed militias in the capital of Tripoli after documenting the extension of support by several parties, including Turkey, to the militias.
Meanwhile, LNA commander Haftar has threatened to attack any Turkish vessel docking in western Libya in order to deliver weapons to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), the London-based news outlet Asharq al-Awsat reported on Tuesday, according to the Ahval news website.