Two Turkish soldiers were killed in Libya, the nation’s first casualties in the North African country’s civil war, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Responding to a question from the press before heading to Azerbaijan on Tuesday, Erdogan said Turkey has suffered “two losses” in Libya, without elaborating. He also confirmed Turkey-backed Syrian rebels were operating there.

On Saturday, Erdogan had alluded to casualties on the Turkish side, but it wasn’t clear whether he was referring to Turkish forces or the Syrian rebels Ankara is backing.

Turkey intervened militarily on behalf of Libya’s internationally recognized government in January.

Source: bloomberg