UAE, Turkish drones battle it out in Libyan skies

As per reports, Turkish and UAE drones which are engaged in a long time battle in Libya have failed to break a stalemate between rival forces. Since April 4, when eastern Libyan chief Khalifa Haftar began an attack to capture Tripoli which is the city of UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), the battle lines have moved very little. Libya has witnessed a drone battle since the toppling of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi back in 2011 despite a UN arms embargo in place.

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Salame: A drone war theatre 

Reports suggest that due to the conflict, Turkey and UAE have looked towards advanced weaponry so that they gain an upper hand in a conflict that has since killed over a thousand, injured about 6,000 and have forced 120,000 people from their homes as per UN statistics.  UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame, in a video released by United Nations, has reportedly said in a video that Libya is the largest drone war theatre in the world. Salame said that Drones were deployed more than 600 times on one side and 300 times on another side without clarifying as to which side he was possibly referring to. 

Drones reportedly entered into the conflict-ridden area in June violating a UN arms embargo on Libya which was imposed in 2011 revolt that toppled the reign of Muammar Gaddafi. 

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Experts weigh in on the situation in Libya

Reports indicate that several experts have weighed in on the drone situation in Libya. A defence analyst who goes by the name of Arnaud Delalande has said that the pre-determined intensive usage of air assets in the first month of the military offensive has resulted in the grounding of most air combat aircraft of the two airforces because of lack of maintenance. To avoid looking like without airpower, Haftar and GNA look to have turned towards drones. Experts say that Haftar has gotten hold of Chinese manufactured Wing Loong drones from Haftar-supporter United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, GNA has turned to Ankara which has been vocal for its support for them and has made sure that they have Turkish Bayraktar drones for airpower.

According to reports. Both sides have engaged in trying to destroy each other's drones and command centres. Haftar's unit have carried out strikes on Mitiga airport near Tripoli resulting in closing down of Tripoli's only link to the world with Haftar saying that Turkish drones or command centres were being targeted 

Libyan analyst Jalal al-Fitouri has claimed that both sides have doubled down on airstrikes against enemy drone bases since June-end. He said that UAE's Wing Loongs have looked for the runways of the Bayratkar drones to demolish GNA's air power, but they have not succeeded. Meanwhile, Turks have expanded their plans by using roads as runways to get their drones in the air and fan-out relay antennas over the region of Tripoli, Misrata and district of Jufra to amplify the range of the drones. He further added that it does not matter if Wing Loong or Bayraktar drones win the air war as they are not an end in themselves if ground support does not move ahead. The UN meanwhile is advising warring factions to restart a stalled political process that has stalled since Haftar launched an attack. 

(With agency inputs)

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