Family Members of Mercenaries Sent to Azerbaijan by Turkey Share Their Stories

Families of mercenaries recruited by Turkey from Syria to fight against Artsakh told The Washington Post about their relatives. According to Armenpress, the publication reports that family members of the mercenaries were met at a Turkish-Syrian border checkpoint while waiting for the bodies of around 53 Syrian men killed approximately 600 miles away along the contact line between Artsakh and Azerbaijan.

The relatives of the fallen claimed that they were mercenaries recruited in Syria by Turkish-backed militants and sent to Azerbaijan to fight against the Armenian side. The deaths of the Syrian fighters have raised concerns that this conflict could escalate rapidly, potentially involving Turkey and Russia and destabilizing the situation in Iran and Georgia.

The media reports that Turkey denies sending Syrian fighters to Azerbaijan, yet the mercenaries told their relatives in phone conversations that their monthly salaries were promised by Turkish-backed forces, and that they had arrived in Azerbaijan from southern Turkey.