Riyad Dirar, co-founder of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces, told Al-Ain News website that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will deploy about 500 mercenary militants from northern Syria to fight with the militias affiliated with the Government of National Accord (GNA) against the Libyan National Army forces.

[Libya, 26 December 2019] – The SDC senior official revealed in an exclusive interview with Al-Ain News that “the elements who will be sent by Turkey to Libya are Turkish-backed militants, including ISIS fighters, who are already deployed within its spheres of influence in northern Syrian.”

He added that Turkey had promised these militants a monthly salary of US $2,000 in exchange for fighting with the forces aligned with Fayez al-Sarraj government.

He pointed out that “the pro-Turkish mercenaries are fighting in Idlib and eastern Syria for just US$150 dollars, so their agreement to relocate to Libya was immediate in order to receive much better salaries.”

The co-founder and vice-Chairman of the SDC also added that “the number of Turkish personnel will increase in Libya, particularly as Turkey normally does not fight with its soldiers in more than one region but rather through mercenaries who were recruited during the Syrian civil war. Erdogan seeks to spread neo-Ottomanism, whether through its military incursion into north eastern Syrian or its military deployment in Libya.”

Riyad Dirar emphasized that Erdogan is moving based on his expansionist ambitions as he seeks to control the lucrative oil and gas sector in Libya through his forged alliances and concluded pacts with the GNA, as well as the ideological bonds that bring him together with the Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord in terms of affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood.

He called for confronting and thwarting Erdogan’s schemes in the locations where he is actively engaged, whether in Syria by supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces and backing it in its efforts to restore Syrian territory and also by aborting the Turkish-GNA project in Libya.

The Syrian Democratic Council official stressed the need to work from inside Turkey by communicating with the anti-Erdogan policies’ opposition in order to weaken his destructive role.

© Al Marsad English (2019)