On Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said in a statement that more than 800 Syrian mercenaries recruited by Turkey have died in the wars in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh.
It estimated that 496 were killed in Libya and a further 293 in the Armenian-Azerbaijani war. Several hundred more have been reported injured or missing after they were recruited.
According to the Observatory, since last December, 18,000 mercenaries, including 350 minors, have been transferred by Ankara to western Libya. They fought alongside the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) against the Libyan National Army (LNA).
10,750 are believed to have returned to Syria after completing the duration of their contracts and receiving their salaries. These range from a base salary of €1,500 to €4,000 for sustaining injuries and €10,000 to be paid to families as compensation for deaths, according to an investigation by the Efe Agency.
The SOHR also warned that some 2,500 Tunisians are also among these mercenaries in Libya, with many of them linked to jihadist groups.
It added that the total number of mercenaries transferred to Azerbaijan for the war with Armenia amounted to 2,580. An estimated 342 have already returned “after giving up everything, including financial incentives”.