Thread by @Elizrael

A group of about 350 former rebels who "settled their status" with the Assad regime from the towns of Jaba, Mamtinah and Mashara took off today from Mamtinah en route to Libya, where they will fight alongside Haftar's forces. They were recruited by Russia.

When the fighters "reconciled" with the regime, they joined the 5th Corps under Russian leadership. They are paid 30,000 lira ($24) monthly - not enough to survive on. In Libya, they were promised to receive $3,000 for 3 months (so $1,000 monthly).

One of the leading recruiters of this group is Abu Jaafar Mamtinah, who was previously a commander in a local FSA faction that received Israeli support. When he became the overall commander, Israel cut its support.

Prior to the start of the war, Abu Jaafar would trade in stolen antiquities and kept this practice going during the war as well.
In 2018, as the regime advanced in the south & abandoned by Israel, he switched sides & began advocating for "reconciliations" with the regime.

Abu Jaafar survived multiple assassination attempts since the "reconciliation."
Now his fighters will be battling in Libya against others Syrian mercenaries, recruited by Turkey, who are paid twice as much ($2,000 monthly) to fight on the side of the UN-recognized government.

The mercenaries dispatched by the Turks recently suffered significant losses in manpower in the battlefield, but new fighters continue to arrive from all factions of the "Syrian National Army" created by Turkey. Thousands of them are already fighting in Libya.

Locals expect additional fighters to be dispatched to Libya from the southern countryside of Quneitra.
Russia already recruited locals in Sweidaa & Ghouta to fight for Haftar alquds.co.uk/%D8%B1%D9%88%D…