FILE PHOTO: Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan leaves 10 Downing Street after meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other heads of state, ahead of the NATO summit in London, Britain December 3, 2019. Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool via REUTERS

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya’s internationally recognized government has formally requested from Turkey “air, ground and sea” military support to fend off an offensive of eastern forces to take the capital Tripoli, a Tripoli official said on Thursday.

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said earlier his country will send troops to Libya at the request of Tripoli as soon as next month.