Turkish-backed mercenaries | Syrian fighters in Libya expected to return at Turkey’s orders
Reliable sources have reported that the Turkish-backed Syrian fighters in Libya have been informed to pack up and prepare themselves to return to Syria, at orders by the Turkish government, which had sent the mercenaries to serve Turkey’s narrow interests in Libya. This development comes in light of Erdogan’s new political stance towards the Arabs through attempts to amend its diplomatic and political relations with Egypt. It is worth noting that the return of batches of Syrian mercenaries has been suspended since mid-November 2020.
It is worth noting that the Turkish government had previously ordered the Syrian factions’ militiamen to prepare for the return to Syria, but such orders have not been fulfiled.
On February 13, SOHR sources reported that the return of the Turkish-backed Syrian mercenaries was completely suspended, as some of these mercenaries in Libya confirmed that they were not asked to prepare for their return, in a clear reference to the mercenaries issue that has been suspended since mid-November 2020, despite the Libyan-Libyan consensus and all international demands for the departure of foreign forces from Libya, amid ongoing media blackout regarding the mercenaries’ issue.
On March 9, SOHR sources said that the mercenaries who were maintained in Libya hindered stability in the country, in light of the Libyan-Libyan discussions to grant confidence to the new Government of National Unity. It is worth noting that 6,750 Syrian fighters of Turkish-backed factions maintained in Libya, and the operations which took place since November were only change of shifts, as some batches returned to Syria while other batches were sent to Libya. The presence of foreign mercenaries in Libya continued despite all international demands and the Libyan-Libyan agreement and the end of the deadline given to foreign mercenaries to leave Libya. According to the Libyan-Libyan agreement, foreign fighters (mercenaries) were supposed to withdraw from Libya within three months after the ceasefire came into force on October 23, 2020.
On the other hand, nearly 2,000 other Syrian mercenaries recruited by the Russian company of “Wagner” and sent to Libya for guarding affiliated facilities are still there, as Russia offers relatively high salaries, exploiting the dire living conditions in Syria.
According to SOHR statistics, the number of recruits who arrived in Libya approximated 18,000 Syrian mercenaries, including 350 children under the age of 18, of whom 10,750 returned to Syria after completing the duration of their contracts and receiving their financial dues. While the number of jihadists who were transported from Syria to Libya reached 10,000, of whom there were 2,500 Tunisians.