Turkey Resumes Transfer of Syrian Mercenaries in Libya

Two local militiamen during battles that took place in 2019 near the Yarmouk camp in Tripoli. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Two local militiamen during battles that took place in 2019 near the Yarmouk camp in Tripoli. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Turkey Resumes Transfer of Syrian Mercenaries in Libya

Two local militiamen during battles that took place in 2019 near the Yarmouk camp in Tripoli. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Two local militiamen during battles that took place in 2019 near the Yarmouk camp in Tripoli. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Turkey has resumed the back-and-forth transfer of Syrian mercenaries operating in Libya following the decision in late June to halt the transfer process until the end of 2022.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) revealed on Wednesday that nearly 250 Syrian mercenaries were sent back to Syria from Libya via Turkey.

Most of the repatriated individuals are wounded and sick fighters operating under the banner of “Al-Sultan Murad, Soqur al-Shamal, Suleiman Shah, Al-Hamza Division, Al-Majd Corps” and other pro-Turkish factions.

In parallel, two batches of 250 mercenaries also left Syria for Libya, the majority of who registered their names with Al-Majd Corps, Al-Sultan Murad faction and Al-Hamza division, the war monitor reported.

This step came in light of escalation of disagreements between members of the Al-Sultan Murad and Soqour al-Shamal factions since early July and the ongoing demands to resume back-and-forth transfer operations.

The mercenaries threatened to stage demonstrations if the operations were to be suspended until the end of 2022.

On July 2, reliable sources told SOHR that disagreements escalated between members of the National Army in Yarmouk camp in Tripoli.

Many of these mercenaries have been in Libyan camps for more than two years and have been prevented from visiting Syria.

Sources said members of these factions complain that leaders are stealing their salaries and not providing them with the agreed upon food allowances.

Thousands of Turkish forces have been sent to Libya to fight along dozens of mercenaries from armed factions loyal to Turkey.

This comes in line with the memorandum of understanding on security and military cooperation signed in November 2019 between Turkey and the Government of National Accord (GNA) then headed by Fayez al-Sarraj.

Turkey considers its military presence in Libya “legal."

Ankara says its presence in Libya is aimed at helping the country establish a unified army that brings together all the forces from the east and west under one umbrella.

Turkey’s parliament approved in June to extend the Turkish armed forces' mandate in Libya for another 18 months from July 2, at the request of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

It argues that its efforts to build democratic institutions following the February 2011 incidents were in vain due to the armed conflicts that led to the emergence of a fragmented administrative structure in the country.

The text of the decision states that Turkey will continue to uphold its strong support to protect Libya’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and political unity.

It further underlined the importance of ensuring the establishment of a permanent ceasefire, supporting political dialogue to achieve national reconciliation and creating a legal framework for national elections.



UN Says 875 Palestinians Have Been Killed Near Gaza Aid Sites

Destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip are pictured at sunset from a position across the border in southern Israel on July 15, 2025. (AFP)
Destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip are pictured at sunset from a position across the border in southern Israel on July 15, 2025. (AFP)
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UN Says 875 Palestinians Have Been Killed Near Gaza Aid Sites

Destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip are pictured at sunset from a position across the border in southern Israel on July 15, 2025. (AFP)
Destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip are pictured at sunset from a position across the border in southern Israel on July 15, 2025. (AFP)

The UN rights office said on Tuesday it had recorded at least 875 killings within the past six weeks at aid points in Gaza run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and convoys run by other relief groups, including the United Nations.

The majority of those killed were in the vicinity of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, while the remaining 201 were killed on the routes of other aid convoys.

The GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to get supplies into Gaza, largely bypassing a UN-led system that Israel alleges has let Hamas-led fighters loot aid shipments intended for civilians. Hamas denies the allegation.

The GHF, which began distributing food packages in Gaza in late May after Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade, previously told Reuters that such incidents have not occurred on its sites and accused the UN of misinformation, which it denies.

The GHF did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest UN figures.

"The data we have is based on our own information gathering through various reliable sources, including medical human rights and humanitarian organizations," Thameen Al-Kheetan, a spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters in Geneva.

The United Nations has called the GHF aid model "inherently unsafe" and a violation of humanitarian impartiality standards.

The GHF said on Tuesday it had delivered more than 75 million meals to Gaza Palestinians since the end of May, and that other humanitarian groups had "nearly all of their aid looted" by Hamas or criminal gangs.

The Israeli army previously told Reuters in a statement that it was reviewing recent mass casualties and that it had sought to minimize friction between Palestinians and the Israeli army by installing fences and signs and opening additional routes.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has previously cited instances of violent pillaging of aid, and the UN World Food Program said last week that most trucks carrying food assistance into Gaza had been intercepted by "hungry civilian communities".