The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Turkish-backed mercenaries in Azerbaijan | Struggle to recruit fighters despite inducements, number of fighters arrive in Azerbaijan rises to 2,350, of whom over 215 killed, and 320 returned

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights continues tracking and monitoring the transfer of mercenaries by the Turkish government to Azerbaijan, as new batch of 300 fighters has arrived in the last few hours and days.

However, Turkey still struggles to recruit fighters and send them to “Nagorno-Karabakh” battles, as a large number of the fighters refuse to fight alongside the Azerbaijani forces due to the “sectarian” factor, as well the heavy human losses they suffered. Some of those fighters who arrived in Azerbaijan are not even aware that the Azerbaijani forces are part of the Shiite community, which prompted some Syrian fighters to return to Syria after discovering this fact and difficult conditions of the fighters there.

With the arrival of the new batch of fighters, the number of Syrian fighters who have been transferred to Azerbaijan to participate in the Nagorno-Karabakh battles has risen to at least 2,350, of whom 320 returned after forgoing everything, including their financial dues.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has documented the death of at least 29 mercenary fighters in the battles alongside Azerbaijani forces in their war against Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh province; and some 15 corpses were brought to Syria.

Accordingly, the total death toll among the Turkish-backed factions since the Turkish government has thrown them onto the frontlines, in late September, has risen to at least 217 dead, including 138 fighters whose bodies were brought to Syria, while the rest of the bodies remained in Azerbaijan.