Egypt kick-starts anti-Turkey campaign in North Africa

Head of Egypt’s spy agency Abbas Kamel embarked Monday on a tour of North African countries, including the eastern region in Libya, to curb Turkey’s influence in the region.

The Egyptian official’s tour is aimed at building “intelligence cooperation among North African government” and ways “to confront terrorism in the region,” reports Middle East Monitor (MEMO) citing Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Egypt and Turkey have seen their relations further strained over the crisis in Libya where the two countries support rival sides and have equipped their respective proxies.

Egypt has been a pillar of support for eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar who has been since April seeking to topple the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), headquartered in Tripoli.

Egypt and Haftar and several European countries have rejected maritime and security cooperation agreements signed between Ankara and Tripoli in November.