LIBYA/MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TURKEY: “President Donald Trump on Thursday [1-2-20] warned his Turkish counterpart against sending troops to fight in Libya hours after the Turkish Parliament voted to authorize such a move. Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed several ‘bilateral and regional issues,’ according to a readout of the call released by the White House, as well as simmering tensions and ongoing instability in Libya that have been condemned by the top United Nations official there. In Libya, where a rival regime in the nation’s east has attempted a coup to oust the Tripoli-based government of Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, ‘foreign interference is complicating the situation,’ Trump said, according to the White House. The offensive has split the international community: The rival regime led by commander Gen. Khalifa Haftar has been backed the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, France and Russia, according to The Associated Press, while Sarraj’s government receives aid from Turkey, Qatar and Italy.”
–Caitlin Oprysko, “Trump warns Turkey’s Erdogan against military intervention in Libya,” Politico, January 2, 2020 2:20 pm