Involvement of Turkey in the Syrian civil war
Turkish involvement in the Syrian civil war Part of foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war Clockwise from top left: Belligerents
Turkey Syrian opposition
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (limited)[ 8] [ 9]
Syrian Democratic Forces
IFB
PKK [ 17]
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (limited)
Syrian Arab Republic Russia [ 18]
Iran [ 19] Libyan National Army Hezbollah Commanders and leaders
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Hulusi Akar (2015-2023) Yaşar Güler Metin Gürak Hakan Fidan İbrahim Kalın İsmail Metin Temel (2016–2018) Zekai Aksakallı (2016–2017)
Salim Idris Abdurrahman Mustafa Albay Ahmed Berri Ebubekir Seyf Fehim Isa Ahmed Othman
Hediya Yousef [ 25]
Mansur Selum [ 25]
Adnan Abu Amjad[ 26] (Manbij Military Council & Northern Sun Battalion commander) (Euphrates Liberation Brigade commander)
Talal Silo (spokesperson for the SDF, defected in 2017)
Abdulsettar Al-Cadiri (Jarabulus military council commander)
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi † Abu Ali al-Anbari † Yunus Durmaz † [ 27] ISIL leader in Turkey, Gaziantep
Abu Ansari † [ 28] (Emir of al-Bab) Abu Hussein al-Tunusi † [ 29] ISIL southern Raqqa field commander Abu Khalid Urduni † [ 30] (Emir of al-Bab) Abu Ja'fr Dagestani † [ 31] (ISIL emir)
Bashar al-Assad Maher al-Assad Ali Abdullah Ayyoub Units involved
Free Syrian Army
SNA (since 2016)
Syrian Turkmen Brigades
YPG
YPJ
Army of Revolutionaries [ 32]
Various military councils
MLKP
TKP/ML TİKKO
United Freedom Forces
Unknown
Syrian Arab Army
National Defence Forces Strength
685,862 servicemen 668 aircraft
65,000
31,500–100,000 militants (2016)
178,000 servicemen 320 aircraft Casualties and losses
Turkey 299–356 servicemen killed
Syrian National Army 2,299 killed[ k]
Syrian Democratic Forces 2,460 killed[ o]
Islamic State 3,000+ killed or captured[ 51] (per Turkey)
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham 2 killed[ 52]
Lions of the East Army 2 killed[ 53] [ 54]
Anti-Turkey factions of the Syrian National Army 5 killed[ 55]
Syrian Government
436 killed[ r]
Hezbollah 9-14 killed[ 71] [ 72]
Iran 5 killed[ 73] [ 74]
Russia 3 servicemen killed[ 75]
1 Aircraft[ u]
1 Helicopter[ v] Destroyed or captured
765-1,517 civilians killed by Turkish Armed Forces and border guards[ w]
Foreign intervention on behalf of Syrian Arab Republic
Foreign intervention in behalf of Syrian rebels
U.S.-led intervention against ISIL
Turkey 's involvement in the Syrian civil war began diplomatically and later escalated militarily. Initially, Turkey condemned the Syrian government at the outbreak of civil unrest in Syria during the spring of 2011;[ 81] the Turkish government's involvement gradually evolved into military assistance for the Free Syrian Army in July 2011,[ 82] border clashes in 2012 ,[ 83] and direct military interventions in 2016–17 ,[ 84] [ 85] [ 86] in 2018 ,[ 87] in 2019 , 2020 , and in 2022 .[ 88] The military operations have resulted in the Turkish occupation of northern Syria since August 2016.[ 89] [ 90] [ 91]
After a decade of relatively friendly relations with Syria from 2000 to 2010, Turkey condemned Syrian president Bashar al-Assad over the violent crackdown on protests in 2011[ 81] and later that year joined a number of other countries demanding his resignation.[ 92] From the beginning of the war, Turkey trained defectors of the Syrian Army in its territory under the supervision of the Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MİT), among whom emerged the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in July 2011. In May 2012, the Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MİT) began arming and training the FSA[ 82] and provided them with a base of operations. Tensions between Syria and Turkey significantly worsened after Syrian forces shot down a Turkish fighter jet in June 2012, and border clashes erupted in October 2012.[ 83] On 24 August 2016, the Turkish Armed Forces began a direct military intervention into Syria by declaring Operation Euphrates Shield , mainly targeting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant .
Turkey has strongly supported Syrian dissidents. Syrian opposition activists convened in Istanbul in May 2011 to discuss regime change,[ 93] and Turkey hosted the head of the Free Syrian Army, Colonel Riad al-Asaad .[ 94] Turkey became increasingly hostile to the Assad government's policies and encouraged reconciliation among dissident factions. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared his intent to "cultivate a favorable relationship with whatever government would take the place of Assad."[ 95] In 2017, it facilitated the establishment of the Syrian National Army of the Syrian Interim Government , which it finances.
A study by Metropoll in September 2019 found that 68% of Turks disapprove of the current government policies on Syria.[ 96] [ 97] The poll also found that 47.5% of Turks see the Free Syrian Army as an "enemy". Three out of four Turks said that Syrian refugees should return to Syria "even if the war continues".[ 96] According to another research by Metropoll, the amount of support for the 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria was at 79%, while Operation Olive Branch had 71% support.[ 98]
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^ "Eyes Bigger than Stomachs: Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar in Syria | Middle East Policy Council" . mepc.org . March 2017.
^ Cafiero, Giorgio; Wagner, ContributorCEO of Gulf State Analytics Daniel; Solutions, ContributorCEO of Country Risk; Affairs, Widely Published Author on Current; Terror", risk management New book: "Virtual (10 November 2015). "Turkey and Qatar: Close Allies, Sharing a Doomed Syria Policy" . HuffPost .
^ "Turkey, Russia continue joint airstrikes against ISIL near al-Bab" . Hurriyet Daily News. 2 January 2017.
^ Zaman, Amberin. "Syrian Kurds courting Turkmens" . Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi .
^ "Turkey's Erdogan Has Grand Plans for al Qaeda's Syrian Spin-Off" . The Daily Beast . 8 October 2018.
^ "Five HTS fighters killed or wounded in attacks by Turkish drones in eastern Idlib • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights" . 26 April 2020.
^ "France's Macron met spokeswoman of Kurdish-led Syria SDF forces" . Reuters . 9 October 2019 – via www.reuters.com.
^ "France assures Kurdish-dominated SDF of French support" . Reuters . 21 December 2018 – via uk.reuters.com.
^ "Turkey warns France over supporting SDF" . 30 March 2018. Archived from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019 .
^ "The UAE has it in for the Muslim Brotherhood" . Al-Araby Al-Jadeed . 22 February 2017. Along with their American counterparts, Emirati special forces are said to be training elements of the opposition. They constitute a kind of Arab guarantee among the Syrian Democratic Forces – an umbrella group dominated by the Kurds of the PYD, on whom the US are relying to fight IS on the ground.
^ "The U.S. bombing of Syria implicates many of Trump's business interests" . Vox . 16 April 2018.
^ "UAE, Kurds Standing against US, Turkey in Syria" . Farsnews . 22 February 2017. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2018 .
^ a b "U.S. Seeks Arab Force and Funding for Syria" . Wall Street Journal . 16 April 2018. Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. helped pay the stipends for the Syrian fighters the U.S. is supporting
^ "On International Human Rights Day: Millions of Syrians robbed of "rights" and 593 thousand killed in a decade" . SOHR. 9 December 2020.
^ "Stratfor: Turkey and Russia wage "full-blown proxy war" in Syria" . Ahval . 17 January 2018.
^ "Assad, Iran support Kurdish forces against Turkey in Syria's Afrin with key weapon systems – reports" . Al Masdar News. 9 February 2018. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2020 .
^ "30 يوما من نبع السلام: "قسد" تخسر نصف مساحة سيطرتها تقريبا.. وروسيا و"النظام" لاعب جديد في الشمال السوري.. وانتهاكات الفصائل التركية تجبر المدنيين على الفرار.. وأكثر من 870 شهيداً وقتيلاً.. وأوضاع إنسانية وصحية كارثية تهدد المنطقة • المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان" . 9 November 2019.
^ "Fırat Kalkanı Harekatının 216 günlük bilançosu" . Milliyet . 30 March 2017.
^ "Bozdağ: Türkiye'nin Afrin de işi bitmemiştir - Politika haberleri" . www.dha.com.tr . 26 March 2018.
^ Tomson, Chris (19 November 2016). "ISIS retakes town near al-Bab during deadly ambush on Turkish-backed rebels" . Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2019 .
^ "Akar: 600 yerleşim yeri kontrol altına alındı" . www.gazeteduvar.com.tr . 21 November 2019.
^ a b "Syrian Kurds declare new federation in bid for recognition" . Middle East Eye . 17 March 2016.
^ "Turkey calls on US, allies to reconsider Syria no-fly zone" . AP. 21 November 2016.
^ haberler, Son (20 May 2016). "Gaziantep'teki canlı bomba Yunus Durmaz çıktı – Son Dakika Haberler" . www.sonhaberler.com . Retrieved 17 February 2018 .
^ http://www.sabah.com.tr/gundem/2016/12/31/deasin-sozde-emiri-ebu-ensari-olduruldu El Bab'da son dakika: DEAŞ'ın sözde emiri Ebu Ensari öldürüldü
^ Silva, Cristina (31 December 2016). "ISIS Leader Dead? Islamic State Emirs Killed By Turkish Warplanes In Syria" . International Business Times .
^ "Turkey 'neutralizes' ISIL's political leader in al-Bab - World News" . Hürriyet Daily News . 5 February 2017.
^ Lucas, Scott (29 January 2014). "Syria: Turkey Hits Islamic State of Iraq Convoy Near Border – EA WorldView" . Retrieved 17 February 2018 .
^ "Why Jaish al-Thuwar was bombarded by Turkey" . Al-Monitor . 18 February 2016. Archived from the original on 22 February 2016.
^ "Armor: Turkish Leopards Find Redemption" . www.strategypage.com .
^ "Lostarmour ID: 26703" . lostarmour.info . Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2020 .
^ "Lostarmour ID: 22552" . lostarmour.info . Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020 .
^ "Lostarmour ID: 22513" . lostarmour.info . Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020 .
^ "Lostarmour ID: 22531" . lostarmour.info . Archived from the original on 24 June 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020 .
^ "Turkish F-16 fighter destroyed a helicopter "Black hawk" " . weaponews.com .
^ "erdogan says turkish military helicopter shot down during afrin operation in syria" . dailysabah . 10 February 2018.
^ Editorial, Reuters (8 March 2016). "Two killed as rockets from Syria hit southern Turkish town – mayor" . Reuters . Retrieved 7 December 2016 .
^ 1 Bayraktar UAS (12 Feb) [1] 1 TAI Anka-S (25 February) [2] Archived 11 March 2020 at the Wayback Machine [3] Archived 11 March 2020 at the Wayback Machine 1 Bayraktar TB2 (February 2020) [4] Archived 2 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine [5] 1 TAI Anka-S (1 March)[6] [7] 1 Bayraktar TB-2 (3 March)[8] [9] 1 Bayraktar TB-2 (4 March) [10] 1 Bayraktar TB2 (23 August 2020) [11] 2 Unespecified [12] [13]
^ a b c "The Syrian Democratic Forces continue to comb the villages and sites to which the pro-Turkish factions advanced on the outskirts of Ain Issa" (in Arabic). Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2024 .
^ a b c "On the eve of Nowruz festivals…Afrin witnesses arrests against its residents by the factions of "Olive Branch" on charge of celebrating and setting fire in the festival's anniversary" . 6 February 2024 . Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2024 .
^ "Erdogan says 3,747 terrorists 'neutralized' in Afrin op" . AA. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2024 .
^ https://www.syriahr.com/en/326687/ [bare URL ]
^ https://www.syriahr.com/en/327136/ [bare URL ]
^ https://www.syriahr.com/en/332388/ [bare URL ]
^ a b "Turkey's presence in Syria in 2023 | Aerial and ground attacks by Turkish forces leave 72 civilians and nearly 140 combatants dead" . Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 1 January 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024 .
^ a b "Turkey's presence in Syria in 2022 | Aerial and ground attacks by Turkish forces leave 74 civilians and 164 combatants dead" . Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 28 December 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2024 .
^ 4 killed (28 August),[14] 6 killed (7 September),[15] 22 killed (20–23 October),[16] 6 killed (25 October),[17] Archived 28 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine 9 killed (27 October),[18] Archived 16 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine 3 killed (8 November),[19] Archived 13 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine 1 killed (10 November),[20] Archived 17 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine 1 killed (11 November),[21] Archived 26 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine 6 killed (12–19 November),[22] Archived 23 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine 1 killed (20 November),[23] Archived 21 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine 8 killed (21 November),[24] Archived 21 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine 2 killed (22 November),[25] Archived 24 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine 6 killed (23 November),[26] 7 killed (27 November),[27] Archived 29 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine 4 killed (29 November),[28] Archived 30 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine 2 killed (1 December),[29] Archived 4 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine 3 killed (2 December),[30] Archived 2 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine 1 killed (7 December),[31] Archived 20 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine 2 killed (9 December),[32] Archived 20 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine 2 killed (14 December),[33] Archived 20 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine 1 killed (10 February),[34] Archived 11 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine 2 killed (11 February),[35] 1 killed (16 February),[36] Archived 18 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine 1 killed (19 February), [37] Archived 21 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine 3 killed (21 February), [38] Archived 22 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine 4 killed (1 March), [39] Archived 3 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine 5 killed (3 March), [40] Archived 4 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine 5 killed (9 March), [41] Archived 12 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine 3 killed (11 March), [42] Archived 12 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine 2 killed (14 March), [43] Archived 15 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine 1 killed (16 March), [44] Archived 17 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine 1 killed (18 March), [45] Archived 20 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine 2 killed (23 March), [46] Archived 24 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Turkey 'neutralizes' 3,000 ISIL militants in Syria - Turkey News" . Hürriyet Daily News . 24 March 2019.
^ "Five HTS fighters killed or wounded in attacks by Turkish drones in eastern Idlib • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights" . 26 April 2020.
^ "Rising tension | Turkish forces kill fighter of "Jaysh Al-Sharqiyyah" in Sluk town • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights" . 19 May 2020.
^ https://www.syriahr.com/en/340689/ [bare URL ]
^ https://www.syriahr.com/%d8%a7%d8%b3%d8%aa%d8%b4%d9%87%d8%a7%d8%af-%d9%88%d8%a5%d8%b5%d8%a7%d8%a8%d8%a9-%d9%86%d8%ad%d9%88-30-%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d9%88%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%b5%d8%a7%d8%b5/719545/ [bare URL ]
^ https://www.syriahr.com/en/325472/ [bare URL ]
^ https://www.syriahr.com/en/331700/ [bare URL ]
^ https://www.syriahr.com/en/332899/ [bare URL ]
^ Cite error: The named reference cassh
was invoked but never defined (see the help page ).
^ Tomson, Chris (27 February 2017). "Syrian Army neutralizes Turkish-backed troops near Al-Bab" . Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2017 .
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^ "Al Qaeda-Linked Islamists Capture Christian Town" . CBN. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014 .
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^ "المدفعية والطائرات التركية تواصل قصفها المكثف على آليات ومواقع لقوات النظام في الريف الإدلبي • المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان" . 3 March 2020.
^ "Aleppo | Five members of Russian convoy killed and injured in Turkish bombardment and Russian helicopter fly over region to transport injured people • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights" .
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^ "Turkish Military in Iraq & Syria" .
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^ "Al-Assad's legacy in 3rd presidential term | over 371,000 people killed…unprecedented economic collapse…foreign interventions and large spread of drugs • the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights" . 25 May 2021.
^ a b Turkey condemns violence as Assad's helicopters open fire The Telegraph, 10 June 2011.
^ a b Manna, Haytham (22 June 2012). "Syria's opposition has been led astray by violence" . The Guardian . London. Retrieved 24 October 2012 .
^ a b Mackey, Robert. "Syria News" . The New York Times . Retrieved 2 August 2012 .
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^ "Turkey shells Syria's Afrin region, minister says operation has begun" . Reuters . 19 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018 .
^ McKernan, Bethan (9 October 2019). "Turkey launches military operation in northern Syria" . The Guardian .
^ Sydow, Christoph (14 October 2017). "Syrien: Willkommen in der türkischen Besatzungszone" [Syria: Welcome to the Turkish occupation zone]. Spiegel Online . Retrieved 2 January 2018 .
^ Sirwan Kajjo (2 March 2017). "Skirmishes Mar Fight Against IS in Northern Syria" . Voice of America . Turkish occupation "is an existential threat to the Assad government's ability to reclaim the entirety of its territory, which is a key argument that regime loyalists make in their support of Bashar al-Assad's government," Heras said.
^ Robert Fisk (29 March 2017). "In northern Syria, defeated Isis fighters leave behind only scorched earth, trenches – and a crucifixion stand" . The Independent . You can't mistake the front line between the Syrian army and Turkey's occupation force east of Aleppo.
^ Turkey tells Syria's Assad: Step down! Reuters, 22 November 2011.
^ "Syrian dissidents convene in Turkey to discuss regime change" . France 24 . Agence France-Presse. 1 June 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011 .
^ Karam, Zeina (5 October 2011). "Syrian dissident colonel takes refuge in Turkey" . The Guardian . Beirut. Associated Press . Retrieved 20 October 2011 .
^ Epatko, Larisa (15 November 2012). "Syria and Turkey: A Complex Relationship" . PBS NewsHour . Retrieved 15 November 2012 .
^ a b "Metropoll araştırdı: Her dört kişiden üçü iktidarın Suriyeli politikasını onaylamıyor, üç kişiden biri "Savaş sürse bile geri gönderilsinler" diyor" . Medyascope (in Turkish). 11 September 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019 .
^ "Three-quarters of Turks disapprove of government's Syrian refugee policy – poll" . Ahval . 12 September 2019. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019 .
^ "Public support for Turkey's Syria offensive at 79 percent: Poll" . www.duvarenglish.com . 18 November 2019.
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