After Azerbaijani government’s refusal of their settlement | Over 900 Turkish-backed mercenaries return to Syria
More batches expected to return soon
Reliable sources have told SOHR that new batches of Turkish-backed Syrian mercenaries have returned to Syria from Azerbaijan, as all Turkish efforts have failed so far to maintain them in Azerbaijan. It is worth noting that the Azerbaijani government refuses to allow these mercenaries to be settled in Nagorno-Karabakh or other Azerbaijani areas.
According to SOHR sources, over 900 fighters of Turkish-backed Syrian factions have returned to Syria in batches, with latest batch arriving in Syria last Thursday. While more batches are expected to return in the next hours or days.
Meanwhile, the returnees have receive a part of their payments, an estimated 10,000 Turkish liras, and it is expected that they will get the rest of their salaries in the following few days.
It is worth noting that the total number of Syrian fighters thrown into Nagorno-Karabakh battles has reached 2,580, of whom there were 342 fighters returned to Syria after they had given up and forgone their payments. According to SOHR statistics, the death toll of the Turkish-backed mercenaries since the Turkish government sent them to the frontlines in late September has reached 293 dead, including 225 fighters whose bodies were brought to Syria while the rest of bodies remain in Azerbaijan.
In mid-November, very reliable sources informed the Syrian Observatory that the Turkish government would maintain groups of Syrian fighters in Nagorno-Karabakh, despite the suspension of military operations and the agreement reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan with Russia’s mediation.
It is worth noting that Turkey claimed that these fighters were hailing from this region, particularly from Caucasus and other areas there. However, SOHR sources confirmed that they were pro-Turkey Turkmen fighters.
Separately, Syrian Observatory activists monitored the arrival of a new batch of nearly 30 fatalities of Turkish-backed mercenaries in Syria, after they had perished in earlier military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh.