Turkish ship officer killed in attack off Libyan coast

The third officer of a Turkish cargo ship has been killed and several others among the crew injured in an attack on their vessel off the Libyan coast, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

The ship, named "Tuna 1," was shelled from land while it was 13 miles away from the Libyan coast near the port of Tobruk, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ship was attacked two times from the air as it was trying to leave the area, the statement said.

Ankara lodged a protest and demanded that the Libyan authorities end actions against the security of other Turkish ships in the region, according to the statement.

In the past, Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni accused Ankara of interfering in Libya's domestic affairs, including providing support for the renegade government.

He warned of ending contracts of Turkish businesses in the country. That triggered an exchange of harsh words last week between Turkey and the Tobruk government.

Last year, Turkey's special envoy to Libya Emrullah Isler met with Libya's self-declared prime minister Omar al-Hassi.

That meeting, believed to be the first for a foreign official to meet with al-Hassi, raised eyebrows as some claimed Turkey backs Islamists in Libya.

Turkey denied that charge, saying it backs a UN initiative to mediate peace between warring factions in Libya.

Libya, a major oil producer in North Africa, has witnessed a frayed political process following the toppling of its leader Muammar Gaddafi during the 2011 political turmoil.

The country is now deadlocked in a dogfight between the pro-secular army and Islamist militants.

The capital city of Tripoli fell into the hands of Libya Dawn last August. The armed Islamist coalition has established its own government to confront the internationally recognized one, currently in exile in the eastern town of Tobruk. Endit