ALEPPO, Syria — The families of Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters who died in Operation Olive Branch — which resulted in the FSA seizing Afrin in northwest Aleppo from the People's Protection Units (YPG) on March 18 — have obtained death gratuity payments from the Turkish government.
Col. Moataz Erslan, the commander of the FSA's Elite Army in Aleppo countryside, told Al-Monitor that the Turkish government dispersed payments to the families of the fallen FSA militants July 1-19. He explained, “Each bereaved family obtained 60,000 Turkish liras (about $12,500) in addition to ongoing monthly payments of $100. There are also other benefits, such as being granted Turkish citizenship, but they have yet to be implemented and are still being examined in Turkey.”
