Turkey set to train Libyan forces as militia battles rage in Tripoli

Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Turkey is preparing to launch a training program for Libya’s security
forces.

A Turkish security delegation arrived in Libya on Jan. 5 to discuss a
program to train Libyan police and security forces. Officials said Ankara
would conduct training in Turkey and Libya for both Libyan cadets and
veteran officers.

void(0) — Libyan gunmen roam along Zawiyah Street in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Jan. 3 after a gunfight erupted as a group of former rebels from the western city of Misrata clashed with a unit of ex-fighters from the capital. /Mahmud Turkia/AFP/Getty Images

“The program will begin soon,” an official said.

The Turkish delegation arrived amid increased militia clashes in
Tripoli. Neither the military nor the police has succeeded in taking control of much of the city, including the international airport, from Libya’s militias.

Officials said the Turkish Interior Ministry would also help organize Libyan security training in the North African state. They said Ankara and the Libyan National Transitional Council agreed on the training program in 2011 after the fall of the Col. Moammar Gadhafi.

The training program in Libya has been scheduled to begin on March 4. Officials said a Libyan delegation was preparing to visit Turkey to inspect its security facilities.

Turkey has been one of several countries that planned to train Libyan security forces. Other Middle East states were identified as Jordan and Qatar, both of which helped the rebels overthrow Gadhafi last year.

Ankara, Libyan National Tranistional Council, Moammar Gadhafi, Turkish Interior Ministry

Turkey set to train Libyan forces as militia battles rage in Tripoli added by World Tribune on January 16, 2012
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