Azerbaijani Defence Ministry image purportedly shows Azeri troops in Nagorno-Karabakh region, September 28, 2020
Turkey has deployed up to 1,000 Syrian fighters in the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The fighters, who had been supported by Ankara in the uprising against Syria’s Assad regime, ostensibly work for a Turkish security firm.
Azerbaijan is backed by Turkey against Russian-supported Armenia in the clashes, the worst since 1994, in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of striking civilian infrastructure in Stepanakert, the main city in the disputed region, and targeting artillery fire at a bus carrying Russian and Armenian journalists.
Azerbaijan rejected the claims and said it is ready to work with mediators for a ceasefire after an Armenian troop withdrawal.
Turkey has longstanding cultural and economic ties with Azerbaijan. Russia has a military alliance with Armenia; however, it also has links to the Azerbaijani ruling elite and sells weapons to both sides.
Armenia’s Ambassador to Russia claims Turkey has sent about 4,000 fighters from northwest Syria to the battle front. An aide to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev rejected the assertion.
About 200 people have reportedly been killed in the clashes, including at least 10 Syrians and 30 civilians.
“I Came Here to Make Money”
Speaking with The Guardian, men in opposition-held Idlib Province in northwest Syria said military commanders and brokers, claiming to represent Turkish security companies, offered work guarding observation posts and oil and gas facilities in Azerbaijan on three- or six-month contracts.
Salaries were about 10,000 Turkish lira (£1,000) a month.
In Nagorno-Karabakh, a 23-year-old man from Idlib said he signed a contract on September 18 and is now at a post on the line of contact, under sustained armenian artillery fire since last Sunday.
The man said is part of a contingent of 1,000 Syrians from the Turkish-backed, anti-Assad Sultan Murad, Suleiman Shah, and Al Hamza divisions. They left the Hawar Kilis border crossing for a military base in Gaziantep in southern Turkey on September 23.
The next day the men were flown via Turkish military cargo planes to Istanbul and then to Azerbaijan.
The Guardian’s source said:
I was hesitant to come here at the beginning because I had no idea about this country and I don’t speak the language. I knew there were skirmishes between the two countries, but I didn’t know that I was coming to war. I thought it was just guard work.
I came here to make money and have a better life back in Syria where the living conditions are miserable. I consider this a job, nothing else.
Reuters spoke with two fighters about their deployment. One who had fought for the Ahrar al-Sham faction, said, “I didn’t want to go, but I don’t have any money. Life is very hard and poor.”
Both said they were told by Syrian brigade commanders they would earn about $1,500 a month.
The second fighter, from the Jaish al-Nukhba militia, said he had been told almost 1,000 men were ready. Other rebels gave numbers between 700 and 1,000.
Since late 2019, Turkey has also sent anti-Assad fighters to Libya, supporting the internationally-recognized Government against an insurgency led by Gen. Khalifa Haftar and backed by Russia.
