(Zaman Al Wasl)- Russia backed by the Syrian intelligence has recruited 500 people from northeastern Qamishli city to join the Russian Wagner paramilitary group in Libya, a well-informed source told Zaman al-Wasl Tuesday.
The $1500-oil-guarding contracts have been Russia’s legal way to send needy young men to Libya, who fully know that they will join Libya's ailingman Khalifa Haftar.
Escalating recruiting campaign in Syria seeks to bolster the retired general who and his regional allies inflicted heavy losses by forces of the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).
Backed by Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE, the parallel Libyan authorities have been on offensive against the National Accord Government (GNA) since April 2019 to take the Libyan capital Tripoli.
Last week, at least 200 Syrian fighters took off to Libya from Russia's Hmeimim airbase in coastal Latakia region, source told Zaman Al-Wasl.
Most of them are former rebels, who laid down weapons in central Homs province two years ago, but they had been recruited by the Wagner group.
The fighters have followed intensive training by the Russian army in a desert area near the historic city of Palmyra, according to the source.
Turkey, who backs the UN-recognized government in Tripoli, has also dispatched troops and Syrian fighters to the North African country.
A recent confidential United Nations report identified 33 flights by Syria's private Cham Wings Airline to Libya this year, believed to be carrying Syrian fighters.
"It is estimated from ground sources that the number of Syrian foreign fighters supporting (Haftar's) operations is less than 2,000," wrote the UN experts, who are monitoring an arms embargo on Libya.
The experts alleged that Cham Wings flew the Syrians to Libya for three-month contracts with Russian private military company Wagner, who reportedly recruited the mercenaries to fight for Haftar. Moscow denies any role in the presence of Russian mercenaries in Libya.
When the UN panel asked Damascus about the flights to Benghazi, the Syrian government said the flights were for civilians, "particularly those Syrians living in Libya".
"The panel is unconvinced of the veracity of that response," the UN experts wrote.
Last April, Zaman al-Wasl sources confirmed that Libyan pilots from Haftar's forces had arrived in Damascus to follow training by the Syrian Air Force on the Russian Mi-25 attack helicopters.
The pilots had been stationed in the Air Force 64th Brigade at the Beli Military Airport, 20 km (13 miles) south of Damascus where they have to follow an intensive training for at least six months to be qualified, according to the military source.
Bashar al-Assad's regime and a delegation representing eastern Libyan strongman Haftar agreed last March to exchange diplomatic missions and confront Turkish "interference", state-run news agency SANA said.
In March, Libya's parallel eastern government reopened the Libyan embassy in Damascus after it was closed in 2012, while flights resumed recently between the Syrian capital and Benghazi, Haftar's domain 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) east of the Libyan capital.
Zaman Al Wasl
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