As ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh comes into effect and after nearly 600 Syrian militiamen killed outside Syria | Will Turkey stop turning Syrian fighters into mercenaries serving its regional and international interests?

As ceasefire came into effect in the contested Nagorno-Karabakh between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Turkey has suspended the sending of a new batch of Turkish-backed Syrian mercenaries, which was supposed to be sent in the incoming days. It is not known yet if the Turkish government will stop turning the Syrian fighters into mercenaries in order to serve Turkey’s regional and international interests or not.

 

According to SOHR statistics, Over 588 fighters of Turkish-backed Syrian factions were killed in battles in Libya and Azerbaijan (481 in Libya and 107 in Azerbaijan), while hundreds others were injured or went missing. It is worth noting that the Turkish intelligence has turned these fighters into mercenaries, exploiting their full loyalty to Turkey, while others sought after financial incentives that Turkey offered.

 

It is worth noting that the number of recruits who arrived in Libya approximated 18,000 Syrian mercenaries, including 350 children under the age of 18, of whom 9,300 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.

 

Meanwhile, the number of Syrian fighters who were transported to Azerbaijan reached 1,450.