Turkish drones take out vaunted Russian air defense system in Libya

Asia Times:
Russia has got a black eye in Libya as at least three of its vaunted Pantsir S-1 (SA-22 Greyhound) air defense systems were taken out by Turkish Bayraktar TB-2 armed drones.

The drones, ostensibly in the hands of the official Libyan government forces (Government of National Accord or GNA), are actually operated by Turkish personnel.

Turkey has been illegally shipping arms into Libya and has deployed 1,500 soldiers and thousands of non-uniformed personnel to help the Libyan government fend off attacks by the so-called Libyan National Army headed by self-declared Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar.

Turkey has had a big impact in recent days, forcing Haftar to abandon his attempt to take Tripoli and putting its forces on the run. Haftar has lost his key airbase at al-Watiya.

Haftar’s forces are supported by Egypt, the UAE and Russia. Reportedly in light of significant gains by the GNA and the pullback of Haftar’s forces from Tripoli, Russia has intervened with jet fighters to prevent his total defeat at the hands of Turkish-backed Libyan government forces.
...
This looks like another proxy war which Trump has carefully avoided.  In doing so he is proving wiser than Obama whose strategic blunder destabilized Libya and turned it into a failed state and cleared the way for terrorist to get a hold of weapon systems.  It was just one of several strategic blunders by Obama in the Middle East and Africa.

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