The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has reported that Turkey is offering unprecedented financial incentives to recruit fighters from pro-Turkey factions to combat the PKK in the Kurdistan mountains. Salaries of between $2,500 and $3,000 per fighter are being offered, significantly surpassing previous remuneration packages for Syrian mercenaries deployed to Libya, Azerbaijan, and Niger.
Estimates suggest that nearly 400 mercenaries from groups such as Al-Sultan Suleiman Shah, Al-Hamzah, and Al-Sultan Murad are expected to join the new mission.
These developments coincide with a broader Turkish military build-up in the region. Over the past three months, Ankara has established multiple new bases in Erbil (Hewlêr)
province and significantly increased troop numbers. Simultaneously, there have been reports of hundreds of ISIS fighters, many with links to the Suleiman Shah and Hamza groups, being transferred to Turkish-controlled areas in northern Iraq for military training.
The rapid expansion of Turkey’s military footprint in Iraqi Kurdistan has raised concerns about the erosion of Iraqi sovereignty and the potential for further instability in the region. Critics argue that Ankara’s reliance on Syrian mercenaries and former ISIS fighters poses a serious threat to regional security.
The Iraqi government has so far offered limited resistance to Turkey’s actions, despite widespread condemnation of the incursion.
