Back-and-forth transfer of mercenaries | 500 Syrians loyal to Turkey leave and arrive in Libya
Back-and-forth transfer of mercenaries | 500 Syrians loyal to Turkey leave and arrive in Libya
After the suspension the back-and-forth transfer operations of Turkish-backed Syrian mercenaries from and to Libya since January 27, the Turkish forces have agreed to resume the transfer of fighters to spend their delayed vacation.
Reliable sources have informed SOHR that a batch of 250 Syrian mercenaries belonging to different military formations of Ankara-backed “National Army” has arrived in Turkey after staying in Libya for long months. Meanwhile, another batch of 250 mercenaries have arrived in Libya after their flight from Turkey had been suspended in January 30.
On January 30, SOHR sources revealed that a new batch of mercenaries of Ankara-backed factions, the majority of whom were in Libya for months and returned during the back-and-forth transfer operations, will be sent to Libya in the upcoming days.
According to Syrian Observatory sources, some of the mercenaries who will be sent to Libya had bribed their leaders with 250 US dollars to allow them to go to the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
On January 27, SOHR activists reported that Turkish forces had cancelled the return of a batch of mercenaries from Libya to Syria through the Turkish territories, after ordering the mercenaries to pack their luggage a few days ago.
According to reliable SOHR sources, the Turkish forces in Libya ordered 250 mercenaries of Al-Amshat, Al-Sham Corps and the 9th Division to pack their luggage to return to Syria, however the flight was delayed until further notice due to an air storm in Istanbul.
On January 19, reliable sources told SOHR that three Turkish-backed factions in Libya ordered their fighters to get prepared to leave to Turkey in the incoming hours. According to SOHR sources, leaders of Al-Hamza, Suleiman Shah and Sultan Murad Divisions informed nearly 150 militiamen that they would leave Libya on Thursday, after the Turkish government had agreed on allowing these fighters to spend their vacations in Syria.
On the other hand, SOHR sources confirmed that a new batch of mercenaries left Syria to Turkey. However, the destination of this batch remained unknown. Also, SOHR sources confirmed that back-and-forth transfer operations of Syrian mercenaries from and to Libya will be resumed, after being suspended for weeks.
It is worth noting that there are nearly 7,000 Turkish-backed Syrian mercenaries in Libya, operating under the banner of various factions of the “National Army”.
On the other hand, the Syrian mercenaries recruited by the Russian security company “Wagner” are still in Libya.
We, at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), call for the extradite all Syrians who have been turned into mercenaries by the Turkish government and engaged in the Libyan conflict. We also demand on Turkey and Russia to stop exploiting the Syrians for serving their narrow interests.