Syrian mercenaries fight Turkey’s battles in Libya
Hundreds of fighters from the National Army of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) headed to Libya in December 2019 to fight alongside the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) against forces led by Gen. Khalifa Haftar.
The deployment came after Turkey agreed to help support the GNA against Haftar’s offensive in the Libyan capital Tripoli. According to leaks circulated by opposition media, Turkish security officials met with FSA leaders in December 2019 and discussed the deployment of Syrian fighters to Libya, in return for a salary.
Syrian soldiers will reportedly receive up to $2,000 monthly for participating in the mission in Libya, while Syrian commanders will receive $3,000. Neither the official Turkish side nor the Syrian opposition confirmed the reports.
Successive batches of National Army fighters have already arrived in Libya. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Jan. 20 that 2,400 Syrian fighters have arrived in Tripoli.
