The American journalist specialized in reporting conflicts and humanitarian crises, Lindsey Snell, revealed details of Turkey’s recruitment of Syrian mercenaries to send them to Libya to fight for Government of National Accord, knowing that she interviewed one of the Syrian mercenaries loyal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Tripoli.
Speaking on Leblad Program on 218News, Snell said many Syrian fighters have become loyal and are fighting for Erdogan not for the Syrian revolution anymore, adding that those fighters have become very angry and lately more open to giving information and interviews as well as footage that show what Erdogan is doing in Syria and Libya.
She added that one of the Syrian mercenaries told her that they are moving from western Aleppo in Syria to Afrin to stay there for a while before going to Istanbul and then travelling to Tripoli, Libya.
Erdogan and Terrorism
Snell said the latest Turkish movements are out of the ambitions of Erdogan to expand his vision, adding that hundreds of thousands of people from across the world crossed from Turkey to Syria and now they are being sent to Libya to do the same.
“Erdogan isn’t supporting terrorists in Libya only but all over the world. He started by opening borders with Syria. Many US officials now say that they asked Ankara not to do so and to protect its borders against terrorism at the time.” Snell added.
She said ISIS-linked terrorists have been seen in Libya being transferred by Turkey, and it’s a clear support for terrorism and GNA that is backed by militias and terrorists.
She said Erdogan backed terrorists from ISIS and Al-Qaeda, especially in Syria and Iraq, by keeping borders open with Syria and the Kurdish forces in North Syria have lots of evidence about the support of Erdogan to ISIS and allowing its militants to attack Kobani.
Recruiting Mercenaries
Snell reported one of the Syrian Free Army officers as saying that each mercenary fighter sent to Libya gets 2000 dollars a month and Turkey has provided them with mobile phones with SIMs that have 300 Turkish Lira so they can stay under the radar.
She said the recruitment is still ongoing and rumors say some Islamist factions like Hurras Al-Deen which harbors ex-ISIS militants – theese are the groups that Turkey made deals with Russia to get them out of Idlib – are to be sent to Libya.
The West and Libya
Snell said the West, Europe and US are lacking full understanding of the conflict in Libya as many western newspapers wrote about the Syrian mercenaries coming from Turkey.
The West hears about the UN-backed governments and think they are the legitimate ones without fathoming that the GNA in Libya is backed by a group of militias and Syrian mercenaries.
