Tripoli urges military aid from ‘friendly’ states as E. Libya’s forces announce 3-day deadline

Libya’s UN-recognized unity government on Friday urged five “friendly countries” to implement military deals as it seeks to repel eastern forces fighting to seize the capital.

Tripoli-based GNA head Fayez al-Sarraj sent letters to the leaders of the US, Britain, Italy, Algeria and Turkey, urging them to “activate security cooperation deals,” AFP reported.

The call came a day after the Government of National Accord (GNA) approved the activation of such a deal with Ankara, paving the way for a bigger Turkish role.

The self-styled Libyan National Army on Friday gave the militias defending the city a three-day deadline to pull out, AP said. The statement demanded that the powerful Misrata militias, which are fighting on behalf of the government in the Libyan capital, withdraw from both Tripoli and the coastal city of Sirte.