Turkey Sends Anti-Assad Syrian Mercenaries To Africa To Guard Mines
Syrian “rebels” have been hired to fight and provide security at gold mines and factories in African countries, several rebel sources told Middle East Eye this week.
Syrian fighters, who are mostly affiliated with the Syrian National Army (SNA), a coalition of armed opposition groups that works closely with Turkey in northern Syria, told MEE that hundreds of fighters were deployed in Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria. There they guard Turkish-operated businesses, factories and mines, or provide protection services in countries where the Islamic State group poses a danger to local security.
An SNA fighter using the pseudonym Deyri, who was recruited for a mission in Africa, told MEE that the recruits weren’t operating alone but in groups. “The command is not in Syrian hands. Sometimes we sign up for the protection of Turkish businesses, sometimes for fighting the Islamic State, and sometimes for guarding mines or factories,” he said.
Reports of Syrian rebels being sent to Africa first surfaced in the western media, which said they had been given short-term combat training before deployment. MEE could not identify which organization trained the recruits.
SNA members told the media that they were recruited through the Sultan Murad Brigade faction, and signed contracts ranging from six months to a year for a monthly salary of $1,500.
