Several groups of militants from Idlib and southern Turkey were recruiting Syrian mercenaries to participate in the battles in Nagorno-Karabakh on the side of Azerbaijan. The mechanism was opened by Novaya Gazeta.
According to the newspaper, the recruitment was entrusted, in particular, to one of the commanders of the Syrian National Army formed under the auspices of Turkey, Mustafa Seyjari, the leader of the Hamza brigade Seif Abu Bakr, the leader of the Suleiman Shah brigade Abu Amshu and several commanders of the Sultan Murat Brigade …
Potential mercenaries were offered a monthly salary of $ 1,800, which they were promised to be paid when they returned home. In the event of the death of a soldier, his family would receive not only the salary that he managed to earn, but also compensation of 30 thousand dollars. In addition, the mercenary himself and his family were guaranteed to receive Turkish citizenship in any event.
As noted by Novaya Gazeta, it is currently impossible to calculate the exact number of Syrians fighting on the side of Azerbaijan, but in the first days of the conflict, when the main recruitment took place, it was reported that about 1,000 people were recruited. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 134 Syrian citizens have already died in the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh. At the same time, the source of the publication in the Syrian opposition calls a large figure – 185 people.
The fact that Syrian mercenaries, supported by Turkey, were sent to fight in Nagorno-Karabakh, became known in early October. Armenia stated that four thousand militants are fighting on the side of Azerbaijan. However, after a while, according to The Wall Street Journal, hundreds of mercenaries asked to return because of the fierce fighting. Freelance journalist Lindsay Snell, however, claims that the militants continue to fight in the region: Turkey is allegedly transporting them from Libya. The Turkish authorities deny all charges, Azerbaijan, in turn, said that it is Armenia that attracts foreign mercenaries.
The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) escalated sharply on September 27. Armenia and Azerbaijan made a decision on a ceasefire for humanitarian reasons from October 18 00:00 local time. At the same time, the sides accused each other of shelling positions on the line of demarcation and non-observance of the ceasefire.
