They kill for their children – Urix

A few kilometers from the border town of Ezaz in northern Syria.

“Omar” is on his way to say goodbye to a friend who fell in the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia. There have been a lot of trips lately and it always hurts so bad.

According to the plan, 48 people will be killed by Ezaz this Sunday night. There will be even more next week.

The fighting has been fierce. Dozens of dead Syrians have already arrived in the border city in coffins.

In the back seat there is an AK-47 type automatic rifle. Omar has used the weapon in the fight against the Assad regime since 2011. That battle that he and many millions of other Syrians have lost.

Now they are fighting a brutal and desperate battle for survival.

Thousands of Syrians have joined a conflict far from Syria. They are better paid as mercenaries than as rebels in the fight against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Azerbaijani authorities have rejected Armenia’s claims that Syrian mercenaries are participating in the war on their side.

But through extensive research over several weeks, NRK can provide the background on why hardened Syrian rebel fighters go to the Nagorno-Karabakh war zone.

The revolution is over

The roads are winding and dark on the Turkish border. Omar talks about the new daily life of the Syrian rebels. About those who chose to use weapons against the Assad regime and hoped that it would bring freedom to Syria and a better future for the people.

– There is no revolution. Those of us who have fought against Assad have nothing. We have to fight. It doesn’t matter where we fight or who we fight for. We do it to survive, says Omar.

– The salary in the rebel army is low, in addition, everything has become very expensive here in northern Syria. If the Assad regime falls, it will be many years before things return to normal.

But now I have to support my two children. One of them is very ill and I have no money to help him, he says.

That is why thousands of Syrian rebels are now being recruited to fight on the Azerbaijani side of the war against Armenia. Away from the family.

– I do it for the future of the children. I have already signed up to travel.

Nagorno-Karabakh

For four weeks, the two former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been fighting for the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. It is located within Azerbaijan, but most Armenians live there.

The conflict is old and they have fought before. Now Azerbaijan feels stronger. Thanks to oil and gas revenue.

But modern weapons and a lot of money are not enough to win a war. Azerbaijan has struggled with unmotivated soldiers and military leaders.

That is why it has become a job for people like Omar, soldiers with long experience in the war in Syria.

With the help of Turkey, thousands of Syrian rebels are now being recruited, with the money apparently coming from Azerbaijan.

The area that we know today as Syria is at the intersection of East and West. Traders, historians, and tourists came here to learn and earn money. But that was before.

In March 2011, demonstrations broke out in Syria against the country’s President Bashar al-Assad. The people demanded freedom and democracy. Assad responded with weapons.

Nine years later, around 350,000 Syrians have died and 12 million have been forced to flee.

Syrian rebels have been cornered against the border with Turkey. The same is true for around four million refugees, the majority of whom live in makeshift tent camps.

Sent the son to war

Outside of such a camp near the town of Ezaz, Fatima is sitting with a mobile phone. Try calling his son Ali. It is almost a month since he left for Azerbaijan, but the 20-year-old has not made any noise in recent days.

He is completely calm and Mama Fatima is worried. Follow news of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh province daily. A place I’ve never heard of before.

– Ali left, but I’m not sure when he will come home. Maybe in three or six months?

– He gets a thousand dollars a month and then we can live well here. I know it’s dangerous, but we have no choice. I could stop her from leaving, but how are we going to live?

The people here do not honor those who died in this conflict. Nor do they discuss this with journalists. The rebels are trying to keep this operation a secret. This is great policy.

Around 2,000 Syrian rebels are said to have traveled to Azerbaijan via Turkey. Between 100 and 200 have lost their lives, according to NRK sources.

– First we were transferred across the border to Turkey, then by plane through Ankara to Azerbaijan, says a mercenary in a recording that NRK has had access to.

– Today we receive personal weapons and heavier weapons. We are preparing for war, says the Syrian soldier.

Right to the front

Syrian mercenaries sent to Nagorno-Karabakh are being asked to guard the borders and pipelines.

Upon arriving in Azerbaijan, most people are given greenish-blue police uniforms, which distinguish them from the traditional grayish-yellow military uniforms used by the Azerbaijani defense.

It is a relentless conflict that they arrive at. A recording that NRK has had access to shows a Syrian soldier filming as he passes what are supposed to be dead Armenian soldiers.

The mercenaries are sent to the front line. There, many of them have had to fight a life and death battle against highly motivated Armenian soldiers, who feel that they are defending what they believe is their country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has good sources of information in the conflict zone, said Thursday that up to 5,000 people have lost their lives since the start of hostilities on September 27.

Right

Back in the border town of Ezaz, it’s crowded from being so late at night. There are many rebels here.

Journalists cannot take pictures or document what happens in the dead of night in the small town. The families of the dead soldiers receive a clear message from the rebels: “Do not tell others where your children died.”

The rebels are closely monitoring the fact that no one is filming the cars crossing the border from Turkey with the dead soldiers. One by one, they get them out of the trucks. Chests are opened for identification.

Some have managed to take pictures of the dead soldiers. One of the photos shows a dead soldier with serious injuries to his face. Another image shows a soldier who has been shot in the forehead.

A short video clip shows how the soldiers are wrapped in the coffins. First in plastic and then in a white mortise. The inside of the coffin is made of metal to keep it cool. The exterior is made of wood.

Omar stands up and monitors the situation.

– I get sad when I see my friends like this, but they had no other choice. They also have children who need support.

– We do not receive help from anyone here, and the fallen do not receive a great funeral, since the people here do not honor the dead in this conflict, says Omar.

Back to Homs?

It was a sad Sunday night for Omar, again this time.

He wants to get to war as soon as possible to earn money and be able to start a new life in Syria. The wait has been hard, but for Omar it is worth it.

– If I travel and stay there for a few months, I will earn enough money to open a grocery store. Then I will resign from the rebel army. It would be better if I could get to my hometown near Homs. Unless the Assad regime stops me.

– In Homs I can farm on the land and feed my children. Here in northern Syria I am a refugee in my own country. I feel alienated here, even though I am in Syria, says Omar.

Some of the heaviest fighting during the Syrian civil war has taken place in and around Homs. Much of the city is still in ruins.

Get in touch with the son

In the refugee camp near Ezaz, Fatima finally receives a sign of life from her son Ali.

The 20-year-old is seriously injured in the foot and has to go home, just a month after his departure to Azerbaijan.

Things got worse for his relative who lost an arm.

It might not be a thousand dollars a month for Ali, as her mother expected. But, fortunately, he does not return home in a coffin.