As their salaries still unpaid | Members of Turkish-backed National Army demonstrate in Mare’ city
Aleppo Province – Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: SOHR activists have reported seeing several families and fighters of factions operating under the banner of the Turkish-backed “National Army” staging a demonstration in Mare’ city in the northern countryside of Aleppo, protesting the cessation of paying their monthly salaries by the Turkish Intelligence for more than two months, demanding the factions’ leaders to undertake their responsibilities. The demonstrators lifted placards with slogans on them some of which read “who takes care of the martyrs’ families?! – we are the National Army, we want to get even a little to live, we do not want to have palaces – do not let us starving – we call upon the donor countries to deliver their support to us, nothing reaches us – the families of the National Army’s members dreams of a loaf of bread”.
Yesterday, reliable sources informed SOHR that the commander of “Sulieman Shah” faction, known as “Abu Amsha”, was given the faction’s fighters their monthly salaries, after cessation of the salaries for two months. Abu Amsha also granted financial awards to the fighters of the faction reached 300 TL each, as Ramadan approaches. The financial awards granted by Abu Amsha also covered all affiliated workers and employees in his “independent kingdom”, Sheikh Hadid district, in Afrin canton, including the civil council, education department, medical department, civil police, military police and cleaning staff. This development raised questions regarding the source of all of these money, especially since the Turkish Intelligence continued evading to pay the salaries of the fighters working for the National Army’s factions for nearly 70 days for unknown reasons, amid growing popular discontent among these fighters.
On April 1, SOHR sources reported that SOHR activists monitored fighters of the Turkish-backed “National Army” gathering in the city of Al-Bab, east of Aleppo, in protest against the delay of their salaries from the Turkish side. Syrian Observatory sources said the Turkish intelligence suspended the salaries of the “National Army” about 70 days ago, amid growing resentment among the fighters due to salary delays.
While on March 30, reliable sources informed SOHR that the Turkish Intelligence services suspended the salaries allocated to the factions of the Turkish-backed “National Army” for nearly two months. According to SOHR sources, the Turkish Intelligence had promised the factions operating under the banner of “Peace Spring” operations room to grant them financial rewards after capturing Tel Abyad city on the Syria-Turkey border in October 2019, but these promises have been still unfulfiled. Moreover, the Turkish Intelligence service has cut the salaries of these militiamen for the cost of their military uniform.
A military source in the National Army informed SOHR that the suspension of salaries by the Turkish Intelligence may be come as a part of its attempts to exert pressure on the factions to accept the opening of crossings with regime-held areas, in implementation of public and secret agreements between Turkey and Russia.
