Turkish proxies deployed from Syria to Libya to defend the Government of National Accord (GNA) have reportedly suffered their first causality.
Several Syrian opposition sources said on January 5 that Ahmad al-Malla, a fighter of the Turkish-backed Sultan Murad Division, was killed near the Libyan capital, Tripoli, by the Libyan National Army (LNA).
Ahmad al-Malla
Al-Malla is reportedly from the district of Zamalka, east of the Syrian Capital of Damascus. In 2018, he opted to leave his hometown to Turkish-occupied areas in the northern Aleppo countryside following a large attack by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
The Sultan Murad Division, a member of the so-called Syrian National Army (SNA), has not commented on the death of al-Malla, so far.
Last December, Turkey began deploying Syrian mercenaries in Libya to help the GNA fend off the ongoing LNA attack on the capital. So far, hundreds of militants have been deployed there, according to several reports.
According to opposition activists, Syrian militants are being promised a monthly salary of $2,000-2,500 for deployment in Libya.
Turkey is now preparing to take more steps to support the GNA, including the deployment of Turkish troops in Tripoli. A recent report also claimed that Ankara will be selling heavy weapons to the Libyan government.
