The Turkish government has continued its practice of deploying Syrian fighters to Libya, replacing those whose contracts have expired with fresh fighters, according to a report submitted to the United Nations Security Council.
The report, prepared by the Panel of Experts on Libya and presented to the Security Council on May 27, 2022, noted “the continuous presence of Turkish-backed Syrian fighters in military camps affiliated with the Government of National Unity” which is led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, in Tripoli.” There had been back-and-forth transfer operations of Syrian fighters to and from Libya, with those with expired contracts taken out of Libya and replaced by a new group, the report added.
Syrian fighters recruited by Turkey were paid between $800 and $2,000 per month. The presence of the fighters was confirmed by Libyan officials affiliated with the Government of National Unity.
The UN investigators found that Alaa al-Junaid, commander of the Hamza division of the Turkish-backed opposition Syrian National Army (SNA), visited members of his forces at the Tikbali camp in Tripoli on May 19, 2021. The visit was publicized in a YouTube video.
The report also incorporated remarks of SNA Colonel Fadl Allah Hajji, who said in an interview on July 18, 2021 that sending Syrian fighters to Libya was “part of a strategic plan of the cooperation between the SNA and the Turkish Army.”
Some Syrian fighters in Libya’s al-Yarmouk camp demonstrated in August 2021 against a delay in the payment of their salaries for over four months, putting roadblocks on the main road and setting fires at the entrance to the camp.
Turkey’s deployment of Syrian fighters to Libya was considered by the UN to be an act that threatens the peace, stability and security of Libya or that obstructs or undermines the successful completion of its political transition. Syrian fighters as well as other foreign combatants and private military companies in Libya are still “a serious threat to the security of Libya and the region,” the UN underlined, lamenting that progress towards the withdrawal of foreign fighters is unfortunately hampered by the political stalemate.