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    Libya conflict: Turkey confirms first soldiers killed

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    Two Turkish soldiers have been killed in , the first casualties the nation has confirmed since it sent troops to the oil-rich state.

    “We have two martyrs in Libya,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, without giving further details.

    Last month, Turkey sent soldiers and Syrian fighters to Libya to bolster the UN-backed government in Tripoli.

    The capital has been under a 10-month-long siege by forces loyal to renegade general Khalifa Haftar.

    His Libyan National Army (LNA) is backed by , Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while the government in Tripoli is supported by Turkey and its ally .

    On Sunday, the LNA said it had killed 16 Turkish soldiers.

    Turkey signed a military co-operation deal with the Tripoli-based government last year, opening the way for the deployment of troops.

    Turkey has also sent fighters from the Syrian National Army rebel group to the North African state.

    “Our brothers who are with us in Syria see being there with us as an honour,” Mr Erdogan told a news conference in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Tuesday.

    He confirmed the two deaths after saying on Saturday that Turkey had sustained “several” casualties, without giving a specific number.

    Media captionWhat's behind the fight for Libya?

    Last week, EU foreign ministers agreed to a naval and air mission to prevent further weapons reaching…

    Continue Reading This Article At BBC News

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