Polisario fighters are reportedly in the hands of Syrian opposition forces. «Around thirty Front militiamen were arrested four days ago in Aleppo», a security source told Yabiladi, confirming information previously disclosed by a former Iraqi MP.
«After completing special training under the guidance of Iranian military advisors in the Tindouf camps, they entered Syria a few months ago using Algerian passports», the same source said. «Their mission was to confront a possible offensive by opposition forces against Bashar Al-Assad's regime. Algeria is trying to hush up the scandal by deploying diplomatic efforts to secure their release, including asking Turkey to mediate», the same source added.
The Turkish regime, which is considered close to Syrian Salafist forces, has reportedly been approached. Algeria's Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf, discussed the arrest of the Polisario militiamen in a phone call with his Syrian counterpart on Thursday. Additionally, Algeria's ambassador to Syria, Kamel Bouchama, noted in press statements that «500 Algerians are living in Aleppo».
As a reminder, Polisario militiamen were previously sent to Libya in 2011 to fight alongside Gaddafi's forces. Despite this reinforcement, the fall of the Libyan leader was not averted.
Syria has officially recognized the so-called «SADR» since 1980.