In a press statement, the Director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), Rami Abdel-Rahman, said that “the European Union and the international community must intervene to stop the flow of Turkish-backed Syrian fighters to Libya.”
“Since last October, Turkey began transferring fighters affiliated to ISIS and Al Qaeda to Libya, contributing to the increasing spread of terrorism in Syria and Libya”, he alleged.
Turkey is believed to have recently sent 500 additional foreign fighters to the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in its fight against the Libyan National Army (LNA).
According to the SOHR, the number of Syrian fighters currently in Libya is believed to be around 10,000, with a further 3,400 still undergoing training in Turkey.
The Observatory says that among the total number of foreign fighters there are about 200 child soldiers between the ages of 16 and 18.