BBC: Turkey sends secret arms shipments into Libya

BBC: Turkey sends secret arms shipments into Libya

LONDON – Turkey sent arms to Libya and violated a United Nations arms embargo on the war-torn country, the BBC said on Thursday, citing satellite images and footage obtained by its investigation team.

A ship carrying armoured combat vehicles, cannons, self-propelled howitzers and an anti-aircraft gun set sail from the Turkish port of Mersin heading towards Tunisia, then disappeared from tracking systems to head to Tripoli on Jan. 27, BBC said.

Satellite images obtained by the BBC showed three ships to the northeast of the Libyan capital of Tripoli, with the one in the middle matching the dimensions and color scheme of the Turkish ship, called BANA.

Meanwhile, the other two ships escorting BANA were G-Class frigates, which are only used by the Turkish navy, BBC said.

“Clearer satellite imagery taken on the same day completes the picture. It shows the BANA docket at the port of Tripoli,” the BBC said.

The ship reached to Genoa in Italy three day after it left Tripoli. A sailor offered information to Italian authorities on the role he said the ship played in the illegal arms trade between Turkey and Libya.

BBC showed images taken by the sailor showing weapons that he said he had taken in the ship’s cargo hold.

Turkey is the main backer of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), and its earlier shipments of armoured vehicles and drones have helped GNA withstand the military operation launched last April by the Libyan National Army (LNA).