Underage recruiter for Turkish-backed groups dies in Syria’s Idlib
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Ten-year-old Mustafa Kara, a recruiter for Turkish-backed armed opposition groups, was killed on Sunday in a traffic accident in the southern countryside of Idlib, northwestern Syria.
A North Press correspondent said that Mustafa Kara, a child of Turkmen origin who recruited in the Second Coastal Division for Turkmen in Latakia countryside, died in a traffic accident in Zawiya Mountain in the southern countryside of Idlib.
The Second Coastal Division is considered one of the most prominent groups operating in Jabal al-Akrad in Latakia countryside, and was formed in 2015 from a number of brigades and groups of about 1,000 fighters, according to previous press reports.
An informed source told North Press that Turkish-backed armed groups are recruiting children in northwestern Syria, taking advantage of their difficult living conditions.
The source pointed out that there is a major role for child recruits, especially in the campaigns launched by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that encourage children recruitment.
A group of preachers affiliated with HTS are calling for jihad, and in this way dozens of children are subsequently subject to legal and military training for several months in HTS camps.
The children recruited by the Turkish-backed armed opposition groups receive a monthly salary of about 300 Turkish lira, while the recruits at the HTS receive $50 to $150, according to the source.