In 2020, members of the Libyan National Army were “hunted down” by “loitering munitions,” or autonomous unmanned drones. At least according to a new UN report.
Turkey is the main sponsor of the Government of National Accord [GNA}. The GNA controls Tripoli and a few other cities. Other than Turkey, the GNA is supported by Qatar, the Muslim Brotherhood, and various Jihadist groups. Turkey has been delivering weapons and foreign Jihadists to Tripoli for years now.
The majority of Libya is controlled by former CIA asset General Haftar and the Libyan National Army [LNA]. Haftar leads a Gaddafi-style secular government and receives weapons from Egypt, the UAE, and France. The LNA is supported by most of the Arab League. In many ways, Libya has become a proxy war between Turkey and leading Arab powers like Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
The UN Security Council Report declares that Turkey deployed “lethal autonomous weapons systems” that “hunted down” retreating LNA fighters. The actual drones are called the “Kargu-2.” They are quadcopters with a camera and an explosive charge. They are designed to dive at a target and detonate themselves. They can operate both by remote control or operate fully autonomously.
The UN says they can not confirm if the drones successfully killed any targets. They can only confirm that the drones were used on the battlefield.
Notes: There are also allegations that Turkey used loitering munitions against Armenian forces in Artsakh as well. There is an international campaign for the UN to outlaw drones like Kargu-2. It is called the “Stop Killer Robots” campaign.
Turkey is currently involved in military conflicts in Lybia, Syria, Iraq, and Azerbaijan. The Turkish military is also occupying part of Cyprus.
