The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Turkish-backed mercenaries | First batch of Syrian fighters arrives in Azerbaijan

Very reliable sources have informed the Syrian Observatory that a batch of Syrian fighters of Turkish-backed factions has arrived in Azerbaijan from Turkey. This batch arrived in Turkey a few days earlier from Afrin in north-western countryside of Aleppo.

 

SOHR sources have confirmed that there is another batch being prepared to be sent to Azerbaijan. These developments come as a part of Turkey’s policy of turning the Syrian fighters into mercenaries.

 

On September 24, reliable sources informed SOHR that the Turkish government transported over 300 fighters of the Turkish-backed Syrian factions, mostly of “Sultan Murad” and “Al-Amshat” factions, from the villages and towns of Afrin canton in north-western Aleppo.

 

The fighters themselves said that they were taken to Azerbaijan in order to guard the state’s border in return for salaries of 1,500 to 2,000 USD. However, SOHR did not verify if the mercenaries’ destination would be Azerbaijan, Libya or somewhere else.

 

Yesterday, reliable SOHR sources confirmed that a new batch of some 1,400 Turkish-backed mercenaries returned from Libya to Syria, after completing the duration of their contracts. According to SOHR statistics, the number of recruits who arrived in Libya rose to nearly 18,000 Syrian mercenaries, including 350 children under the age of 18, of whom 8,500 returned to Syria after completing the duration of their contracts and receiving their financial dues. It is worth noting that the number of jihadists who were transported from Syria to Libya reached 10,000, of whom there were 2,500 Tunisians.