Haftar forces intercept a Turkish freighter bound for Misrata  

Naval units under the command of Marshal Khalifa Haftar, guardian of the unacknowledged government in eastern Libya, intercepted a Turkish cargo ship heading towards the city-state of Misrata in the west and diverted it to the port of Ras al-Hilal, east of Bengazi, where it is being held, military sources informed Efe today.  

According to these sources, the ship was sailing under the Jamaican flag and was caught after it "repeatedly ignored the request for identification".  

"The ship's crew consists of nine Turks, seven Indians and an Azerbaijani sailor. It is being investigated for its violations of maritime laws and regulations," explained the spokesman of the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA), Colonel Ahmad al Mismari.  

Haftar's spokesman later posted several photos of crew members on social networks while LNA soldiers were inspecting their passports.  

So far, Turkey remains silent on the incident and only the local agency Anadoou claims that the ship was carrying medicines and was heading to Misrata, a city allied with the National Accord Government supported by the UN in Tripoli (GNA).  

The interception comes amidst a new UN effort to reconcile the two rival governments and end the civil war that has bloodied the country since NATO contributed to the victory of the various rebel groups over Muammar al-Qadhafi's dictatorship in 2011.

At the same time, Turkey, the main supporter of the GNA, and Russia, which supports Haftar along with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Sudan, among others, are holding their own negotiations outside the UN.  

The maritime incident occurred barely two days after the forces under the command of the marshal attacked the position of a well-known Libyan warlord who is an ally of the GNA in the town of Ubari, an important smuggling centre on the border with Algeria.