TRIPOLI, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- A committee of the east-based House of Representatives on Tuesday criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statement on deploying troops in Libya.
"The Defense and National Security Committee of the House of Representatives condemns in the strongest terms the statement of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan regarding sending his troops to the Libyan territory," the committee said in a statement.
The committee also demanded that the east-based army target any movement of Turkish forces in Libya's national waters or territory, saying that "any location or object (in Libya) used militarily by the Turkish side is considered a legitimate target of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces."
Erdogan said Tuesday that Turkey was willing to send troops to Libya if the UN-backed government requested it.
The east-based rebel army have been leading a military campaign since early April in and around Tripoli, in an attempt to take over the capital and overthrow the UN-backed government.
The armed conflict has killed and injured thousands of people, while displacing nearly 120,000 civilians.
A few days ago, Fayez Serraj, prime minister of the UN-backed Libyan government, said there would be no cease-fire without the withdrawal of the east-based army from western Libya.
