Turkey's parliament has passed a bill that allows troop deployment to Libya, parliament speaker Mustafa Sentop said, paving the way for increased military cooperation despite criticism from opposition lawmakers.

Sentop said the legislation passed with an 325-184 vote in the parliament, where President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party and its nationalist allies hold a majority. Major opposition parties in the assembly voted against the bill.

Turkey is allied to the UN-backed government in Tripoli which is locked in a conflict with troops loyal to an army general supported by Egypt.