Contradicted by numbers: Erdogan denies presence of Syrian mercenaries in Azerbaijan

Robier al-Fares

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the caliph of terrorism, is not ashamed about issuing false statements declaring that there are no Syrian mercenaries in Azerbaijan, which is a clear lie. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has monitored the Turkish government transferring a new batch of mercenaries to Azerbaijan consisting of more than 400 fighters from the Sultan Murad and Hamza Division militias, thus bringing the number of Syrian fighters who were transferred to the country to no less than 2,050 mercenaries.

According to Syrian Observatory sources, the battles in the Nagorno-Karabakh region are intensely continuing in light of the presence of Syrian fighters on the fronts. In this context, the Syrian Observatory reported that there are fighters who have waived everything, including their financial dues, preferring to return to Syria rather than stay in Azerbaijan due to the fierce battles there.

The Syrian Observatory documented further human losses among the mercenaries participating in the Nagorno-Karabakh military operations, as the death toll of the factions has increased to at least 134, including 92 dead whose bodies were returned to Syria, while the rest of the bodies are still in Azerbaijan.

The Observatory noted0 that the Turkish government and intelligence continue to recruit mercenaries in Syria and then send them to participate in military operations in the Nagorno-Karabakh region to fight alongside the Azerbaijani forces in their war against the Armenian forces. However, the operation is taking place in the utmost secrecy for fear of the international community due to the United Nations Convention Against the Recruitment of Mercenaries.

At the same time, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the occurrence of missile strikes carried out by the Turkish forces and affiliated factions targeting the Syrian villages of Maranaz and al-Malikiyah, which are under the control of Kurdish forces in the northern countryside of Aleppo, although there was no information about casualties.

This comes after hours of violent clashes between the Kurdish forces and pro-Turkish militias in the countryside of Aleppo, where the two parties exchanged missile strikes, reportedly causing deaths and injuries on both sides. The bombing and persecution practiced by Erdogan’s soldiers in Syria is a means of pressuring the Syrians to join the ranks of Erdogan’s mercenaries, whose presence he denies.