WSJ: hundreds of Syrian mercenaries fight in Nagorno-Karabakh

Hundreds of Syrian militants allied with Turkey have been sent to the Karabakh conflict zone and joined the fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, and hundreds more are preparing to go, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports with reference to two Syrian rebels involved in the transfer of militants.

A Syrian rebel involved in deployments said fighters had been travelling there since mid-September – before the latest round of clashes – in groups of up to 100 at a time. Another Syrian with ties to the rebel groupings also estimated hundreds had gone to the Karabakh conflict zone. However, "dozens have also returned, alarmed by the fierce fighting," the source says.

According to the WSJ, mercenaries receive monthly salaries of up to 2000 USD for participation in the fighting. "Going to Libya or Azerbaijan has become a normal thing. People no longer care who they are fighting with or against, now all they ask about is the money," the WSJ quotes one of the Syrian rebels as saying.

The second source of the WSJ has added that "casualties among the Syrian fighters are rising fast" and "as many as 200 have already asked to return."

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 14, 2020 at 12:00 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.