Erdogan’s mercenaries flee Libya due to low salaries

Aya Ezz

In a new confirmation of the failure of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to mobilize mercenaries in Libya, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that a large number of them returned to Syria recently due to the lack of financial support provided by the Erdogan regime.

The Observatory pointed out that the average monthly salary decreased to $600 instead of $2,000, noting that more than 1,200 personnel have returned to Syria in the last two weeks, bringing the number of returnees to Syria since the Turkish military intervention in Libya to about 7,100 mercenaries.

The Observatory’s estimates indicate that the majority of these mercenaries are from the Mu’tasim Division, Sultan Murad Division, Hamza Division and Suleyman Shah Brigade.

Chaos

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that a state of chaos prevails in the ranks of terrorist elements in northern Syria, after Erdogan recruited large groups of these elements, many from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and ISIS.

The cities of Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad, north of Raqqa, Syria, are witnessing tensions due to clashes between the Ahrar al-Sharqiya faction, which mostly includes armed members of Arab tribes, and the Sultan Murad Division and Jaysh al-Islam factions due to the refusal of one of the factions to send its members to Libya to fight alongside the Tripoli militias supported by Ankara, as they confirm that their members are facing death in Libya.

In light of this tension, Turkey continues to transfer mercenaries, specifically children, to fight in Libya, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which said that Turkey has transferred about 350 minors from Syria to Libya to fight alongside extremist militias, pointing out that more than 30 of those who were transferred to Libya had their bodies returned, along with some 500 others who were brought back to Syria via Turkey.

The Observatory said that the Erdogan regime is involved in transferring about 19,000 Syrian mercenaries to Libya, in addition to about 10,000 extremists of different nationalities. It added that a new batch consisting of hundreds of mercenaries are currently in training camps in Turkey, waiting for the green light to transfer its members to Libya.