Turkish-backed mercenaries | Syrian fighters’ return from Libya still suspended despite international calls
Foreign mercenaries are still present in the Libyan territory, despite of the Libyan-Libyan understandings, the ongoing international calls and the media coverage, especially by Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Moreover, the return of Turkish-backed Syrian mercenaries has been completely suspended, except for some individual returns by some mercenaries who provided falsified medical reports and bribed the leaders of Turkish-backed factions, amid widespread discontent among the Turkish-backed “mercenaries” in Libya over the suspension of their return and the unpaid financial dues in return for the services they provided for the Turkish government.
On the other hand, the Syrian mercenaries who were recruited by the Russian ”Wagner” company for protecting and serving the Russian interests in Libya, haven’t retuned back.
On April 28, SOHR activists reported that the return of Syrian mercenaries from Libya is still suspended, whether Turkish-backed “mercenaries”, or those who were recruited by the Russian “Wagner” company and sent to Libya.
SOHR sources said that only a small number of mercenaries returned to Syria, after they provided medical reports and falsified some of them by bribing the leaders of Turkish-backed factions, amid widespread discontent among the Turkish-backed “mercenaries” in Libya, as their return to Syria still suspended since March 25, about five weeks ago since the return of last batch of fighters, after a complete suspension of the return of these mercenaries since mid-November.
Amid-April, SOHR sources said that fighters of Turkish-backed factions, who are in Libya, were paying bribes to doctors in order to falsify medical reports enabling them to return to Syria.
On March 8, SOHR reported the Turkish government sending patch of 380 mercenaries to Libya.
On the other hand, SOHR affirmed return of the Russian-backed Syrian mercenaries who had been recruited by the Russian “Wagner” company and sent to Libya, has been also completely suspended. What has been happening in exchange operations, as a Syrian patch retuned to Syrian while another patch goes to Libya. The mercenaries’ task was to protect and guard the oil fields in Libya.
There are 6,630 mercenaries in Libya, and Turkey is intended to leave groups of the Turkish-backed Syrian factions in Libya to protect the Turkish bases.
Also, many of the mercenaries don’t want to return back to Syria because they desired to travel to Europe via Italy.
SOHR sources in Afrin said that Abu Ashmah, leader of Sheik Hadeed Mamlaqah and head of Suleiman Shah Division” has prepared another group of fighters and sent them to Turkey with monthly salaries of 500 dollars.