The Government of National Accord (GNA) paid the salaries of a large batch of pro-Turkish Syrian fighters for the month of July, including the salaries of the previous batch that arrived last June.
Syrian sources from Tripoli confirmed that the GNA handed over the salaries to the leaders of the Syrian groups on August 15 for the period of last July, and also resolved the situations of some of them who did not receive full salaries or dues related to death and injury.
The salaries have been offered to the approximately 10,000 Syrian fighters present in Tripoli, who receive $2,000 per month.
Thus, the total salary in July for this number is $20 million, at a rate of 2,000 dollars for each mercenary fighter out of these 10,000 fighters. It is noteworthy that their confirmed number, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, lately reached 13,000, with hundreds of them being under the direct leadership of the GNA Minister of Interior, Fathi Bashagha.
According to the same Syrian sources, members of these Syrian groups expressed their dissatisfaction with the regularity of salaries’ payment, which were sometimes late or short on amount. However, for the months of July and June, payments were paid on time and in the right amount.
Members of the pro-Turkish Syrian “Hamza” brigade announced after its return to Syria that the battalion’s leaders stole their salaries for the month of May, as well as additional bonuses estimated at $300.
This group, which is estimated at about 100 former fighters in Libya, demonstrated before the Turkish ruler’s headquarters in Afrin, northern Syria, demanding tens of thousands of dollars in financial dues.
The Syrian mercenaries and terrorist fighters were distributed in several camps and areas in the western region of Libya, including the Police College, the Yarmouk camp in Khallet Al-Furjan, and Hamza camp on the airport road.
They are also present in the west in the Sidi Bilal camp near the headquarters of the UN mission in Janzur, which is the camp from where the Syrian militias delivered a statement welcoming the transformation of the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul into a mosque, raising the image of Erdogan as well as Turkish flags.