When they first arrived in Libya in January, Adnan and 30 of his men were unable to hide their enthusiasm.
They had been promised US$2,000 (Dh7,340) a month by Turkey to fight and they believed it would be easily earned.
A few weeks later, they were joined by 150 more of his soldiers. But it was not long before the initial excitement waned.
Fighting since then near the frontline in Ayn Zarah, a southern district of the capital Tripoli, they have lost 19 of their brigade and 80 were wounded.
“I didn’t lose that many guys in 10 years of the bloody Syrian war,” said Adnan, 40, a group leader affiliated to Al Hamza division.
“Now we regret coming. The price we paid is high.”
The deadliest clash happened on March 24, when Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army took their Ayn Zarah outpost by surprise in the middle of the night.
The clashes lasted seven hours and 28 Syrian fighters from several brigades died, while 70 were wounded.
Seven of Adnan's men were captured at a checkpoint by pro-LNA forces and one man, from Deir Ezzor, appeared on Al Arabiya TV, condemning Adnan for taking him to Libya.
Most of the mercenaries Turkey has taken to Libya fought in northern Syria, most recently in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Operation Peace Spring in October 2019.
In January, the Turkish national assembly approved a resolution to send troops to Libya to support the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord.
Adnan said Ankara had already sent 7,000 fighters from its Syrian proxies to Tripoli and Misrata. He said they planned to raise the number to 10,000 in the coming months.
But he regrets the decision to take his men to fight in Libya.
“It is like the beginning of the Syrian war. Every day we send 100 injured soldiers home and bring in 300 new ones,” he said.
“We gave up our honour. We sold the Syrian revolution for money. We became a pawn in a chess game and the Turks move us where they want.”
Not everyone agrees. Usama, 25, from Aleppo who is not one of Adnan's men but a fighter belonging to the Sultan Murad Brigade, said: “Why would I return to Syria?”.
“In Syria, death is everywhere. But in Libya, there is money and death. This is why I choose to stay.”
In Syria, death is everywhere. But in Libya, there is money and death. This is why I choose to stay
On May 30, Murad Al Azizi, a commander of the Sultan Murad brigade, was killed while trying to retake Tripoli International Airport.
While the global coronavirus pandemic has reached Libya, the clashes have not stopped.
In March, the Libyan GNA and its Turkish partner launched Operation Peace Storm to counter attacks on the capital.
Syrian groups equipped with 23-millimetre anti-aircraft guns and 14.5 disassembled AK47s occupy the frontlines.
Abdullah, 22, a fighter with Al Hamza division, said he thought the money he would earn from fighting would help his family to survive in the informal refugee camps in Idlib, near the border with Turkey.
“The Turks told us that our duty would be to guard their military bases," Abdullah said on WhatsApp.
"But in fact, we were plunged into another bloody civil war."
Perhaps that is why the tempting pay is not enough for many Syrians any longer.
Many of them have asked to go back to Turkey, but the militiamen cannot leave Libya without an escort or permission. Most of them do not even have identity cards.
Injured fighters are the only ones allowed to leave, and at least 20 of Adnan’s soldiers have shot themselves in the legs to escape the front line.
“I want to go home. This is not a war I want to die for,” said Yousef, 25, a member of Suleiman Shah division who grew up in the eastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor.
After receiving his first two months' salary, Yousef wanted to escape to Europe, but was unable to find a smuggler and was afraid of being shot by Turkish soldiers or captured by Libyans.
Pro-LNA sources have warned that dozens of Syrian fighters could try to reach Europe illegally, through the Mediterranean.
But official statistics from the UN's International Office of Migrations in Italy did not confirm these rumours.
“We feel like prisoners," said Yousef. "We are stuck between the battlefront and the sea behind us.
"We have nowhere to go."
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Valencia v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Mallorca v Alaves (4pm)
Barcelona v Getafe (7pm)
Villarreal v Levante (9.30pm)
Sunday
Granada v Real Volladolid (midnight)
Sevilla v Espanyol (3pm)
Leganes v Real Betis (5pm)
Eibar v Real Sociedad (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Monday
Real Madrid v Celta Vigo (midnight)
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
Final: UAE beat Qatar by nine wickets
Third-place play-off: Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by five runs
Table
1 UAE 5 5 0 10
2 Qatar 5 4 1 8
3 Saudi 5 3 2 6
4 Kuwait 5 2 3 4
5 Bahrain 5 1 4 2
6 Maldives 5 0 5 0
The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
'Morbius'
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net
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Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
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TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Brief scores:
Day 2
England: 277 & 19-0
West Indies: 154
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
