United States: Turkey has sent thousands of men to Libya

According to the report, the Syrians are being paid by Turkey and have been recruited from the rebel forces that fought against Bashar al-Assad's government in Damascus during nine years of civil war in Syria. It reports the news agency AP.

Now, instead, they are fighting in the Libyan civil war, on the side of the Tripoli government. Opponents are the East Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar, who took control of more than half the country and whose forces reached the outskirts of the capital during an unexpected lightning offensive last spring. He is in turn supported by Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, yet not as openly as Turkey supports the government.

This year, however, the fortunes of war have reversed, with the help of Turkey and its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In addition to the Syrian rebel forces, Turkish drones have played an important role in the fighting. In May, Haftar's forces were driven away from Tripoli and an important air base in western Libya.

Information has been circulating that the rebels have extremist links, but according to the Pentagon report, there is no evidence that they have links to any of the Sunni terrorist groups IS and al-Qaeda. It is instead described as "very likely" that it is the money that motivates them.

Both sides are now mobilizing around the strategic coastal city of Sirte, the former shipping port for most of the country's oil production. The government has promised to take back the city, but it could escalate the conflict further.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has threatened direct military intervention if government forces go on the offensive. Egypt will not "stand by the side" if operations directly threaten security, el-Sisi said in a meeting with dozens of Hifter-loyal clan leaders in Cairo on Thursday, writes AP.