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| - Pro-Turkish Syrian fighters are in Libya alongside training teams despatched by Ankara, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed for the first time on Friday. "Turkey is there with a training force. There are also people from the Syrian National Army," Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul, referring to the group of rebel fighters formerly known as the Free Syrian Army. Turkey supports the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), based in Tripoli, and sent dozens of military training personnel after the two countries signed deals last year. The GNA has been under sustained attack for months from strongman Khalifa Haftar, a military commander with an eastern powerbase whose principal backers include Russia. Last month, the warring sides agreed a ceasefire and although there have been violations they have held two rounds of talks in Geneva. Haftar said on Friday his conditions for a ceasefire were "withdrawal of Syria and Turkish mercenaries, Turkey stopping supplies of weapons to Tripoli and the liquidation of terrorist groups". Erdogan hit out at Haftar and renewed allegations that Russia had sent 2,500 mercenaries from a private security company called Wagner -- claims denied by Moscow. The Turkish leader said there were "nearly 15,000 terrorists" supporting Haftar, who has also been backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Erdogan referred to Sudanese fighters, though a UN panel last month said there was no "credible evidence" of Sudanese paramilitaries fighting for Haftar. Erdogan met Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj on Thursday in Istanbul, but Turkish officials did not give details. Libya has been wracked by conflict since 2011 when a NATO-backed uprising led to the killing of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi. raz/er/jxb
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