The head of Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Ibrahim Kalın, held a rare meeting with putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar in Libya’s Benghazi, officials confirmed Monday, marking the first high-level contact between Ankara and Benghazi in years.
The meeting, also attended by officials from Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army, focused on bilateral ties between Türkiye and Libya. Ankara backs the U.N.-recognized government based in Tripoli, while Haftar controls the country’s east.
The visit comes amid intensified diplomatic outreach. Earlier this month, on Aug. 1, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah of Libya’s Government of National Unity in Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace.
Separately, Türkiye’s Defense Ministry announced that the Turkish Navy corvette TCG Kınalıada visited Benghazi port. During the visit, Turkish and Libyan military delegations held talks. The Turkish side was led by Lt. Gen. Ilkay Altındağ, recently promoted to lieutenant general and serving as head of defense and security. Libya was represented by Col. Gen. Saddam Haftar, deputy commander of the LNA and head of ground forces.
The Defense Ministry said the meetings were held under the framework of efforts to achieve the goal of a “single Libya, single army.” Following the talks, Saddam Haftar also boarded and toured the TCG Kınalıada.
Libya has been divided since the NATO-backed uprising in 2011, with rival administrations in the east and west vying for power. Türkiye remains a key supporter of the Tripoli-based government while simultaneously expanding contacts with eastern authorities.
