On Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said Turkey intends to resume sending again mercenaries to Libya, having previously sent 18,000 of them.
The SOHR reported that a total of 10,750 returned after completing their contracts. Their salaries ranged from €1,500-€4,000, and €10,000 for the families of those killed in combat.
These mercenaries included up to 350 minors recruited by the Sultan Murad brigade. The death toll among these fighters is reported to be close to 500.
The observatory confirmed that besides Syrians, about 2,500 Tunisians -many of whom are linked to Jihadist groups- are among the mercenaries sent by Ankara.
Last Tuesday, a Turkish ship was intercepted by the Libyan National Army’s (LNA) naval forces in eastern Libya. “Attacking Turkish interests in Libya will have serious consequences, and these elements (that attack the Turkish interests) will be seen as legitimate targets,” said the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement. It warned about possible reprisals and maintained that the ship should be allowed to continue its journey to western Libya.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan decided to intervene directly in Libya’s civil war in December 2019 by supporting the Government of National Accord (GNA).