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Turkish-backed Syrian militants have suffered their first losses while fighting for the Azerbaijani Armed Forces in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported the militants’ first causality on September 30. The militant was reportedly shot dead by Armenian forces on one of Nagorno-Karabakh’s front lines.
According to the London-based monitoring group, up to 320 Syrian militants are now supporting the Azerbaijani attack on Nagorno-Karabakh.
While the SOHR reported a single Syrian casualty, BBC producer, Riam Dalati, said that at least nine Syrians had been killed while fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh so far. According to Dalati, the number of casualties could reach 13.
Contacts in #Idlib and #Aleppo have so far confirmed 9, with near certainty, out of a list of 13+ KIA #Syria #SNA fighters allegedly killed in #Azerbaijani #Armenian #NagornoKarabakh conflict.
— Riam Dalati (@Dalatrm) September 30, 2020
Turkey’s plan to deploy Syrian militants in Azerbaijan to support a push on Nagorno-Karabakh was first revealed in July. After months of denial, sources close to Turkish-backed militants confirmed the plan to Reuters two days ago.
Syrian militants sent to Azerbaijan are reportedly receiving a monthly salary of $1,500 to 2,000. The militants told that their task would be to guard oil facilities. However, they are now fighting on Nagorno-Karabakh’s front lines.
The deployment of Syrian militants in Azerbaijan indicates that Turkey played a key role in Baku’s decision to launch an attack on Nagorno-Karabakh.
