Syrian mercenaries in Libya: 24 fighters killed of the 2,400 already shipped to Libya, while 1,700 recruits undergo training in Turkey

Syrian mercenaries in Libya: 24 fighters killed of the 2,400 already shipped to Libya, while 1,700 recruits undergo training in Turkey

Syrian Observatory for human Rights sources and activists have been still continuing to monitor the Turkish operation’s development of transporting fighters from Syria to Libya. Centers and headquarters still registering new names of people desire to join the battles in Tripoli, along with the arrival of new batches of “mercenaries” in the Libyan territory.

Nearly 2,400 fighters have been already shipped to Tripoli, while nearly 1,700 other recruits arrived in Turkey to undergo training courses. Recruitment spreads widely in Afrin, areas under control of “Euphrates Shield” factions and NE Syria region.

The volunteers are fighters of the factions “al-Mu’tasim Division, Sultan Murad, Suqur Al-Shamal Brigade, Al-Hamzat, Al-Sham Corps, Suliman Shah and Samarkand Brigade”

Activists informed the Syrian Observatory that Turkey wants nearly 6,000 Syrian volunteers to be sent to Libya. Turkey intents to reduce allocated salaries and put specific conditions of accepting new recruits, as soon as the required number of volunteers is completed.

SOHR sources reported that new corpses of Syrian mercenaries killed in Tripoli, arrived in Syria. Accordingly, the number of Syrian mercenaries who joined the military operations in Libya and killed there, rose to 24, all of the factions “al-Mu’tasim Division, Sultan Murad, Suqur Al-Shamal Brigade and Al-Hamzat “.

One of the fighters who have been displaced from Idlib and desired to join the war in Libya, said to SOHR activists “I want to go to Libya to win what Turkey offers. I have nothing to lose. I live in a tent and my salary is 300 Turkish Liras that are not enough for my food. The leaving to Libya where I will take 2,000 USD, is better than fighting in east Euphrates.”

Perhaps the view of this fighter is the same of all fighters who volunteered or want to volunteer, mostly displaced from middle Syria and Rif Dimashq to Afrin and Idlib, in addition to some others from Aleppo countryside. Living situation is deteriorating and the Turkish inducements push these mercenaries to accept joining the war in Libya.

Reliable sources provided the Observatory with information about the identity of those fighters who appeared in a video clip, aboard a private Turkish airplane while heading from Syria to Libya. Most of them are fighters displaced from middle Syria to Afrin and Idlib.

Meanwhile, a commander in the “National Army” appeared on a Turkish TV channel loyal to Erdogan’s government, affirming the sending of fighters to Libya, in which he said “We are ready to go everywhere for supporting the oppressed, and we will go to Turkistan after getting rid of Al-Assad.”

“We will present our souls for the Ottoman Caliphate” he added.

It is noteworthy that the conscription of mercenaries is a crime according to the international conventions issued by the UN before about 30 years ago.