Turkey: Our Forces Remain in Syria and Iraq Until Borders Are Secured

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler told AFP that his country will keep its troops in Syria and Iraq until the security of its borders with both neighbors is fully guaranteed.

In a written response to AFP’s questions, Guler said, “We maintain our military presence in Iraq and Syria,” adding, “When we are assured that the necessary conditions regarding regional and border security have been met, the status of our deployment sites and presence in the region will be reviewed.”

Turkey has deployed forces in northern Syria and Iraq for years to contain the threat posed by Kurdish separatists from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Islamic State (IS) along its borders.

However, the situation has changed in the past two years, following the rise to power in Syria of a new government allied with Ankara after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and as Turkey moved to close the chapter on its decades-long conflict with the PKK.

Guler stated, “Once the terrorist threat in the region is completely eliminated, border security is ensured, and state authority is fully and uniformly extended across all of Syria without exception, the status of our forces will be reassessed.”

When Assad’s rule fell, Turkey had deployed between 16,000 and 18,000 soldiers in northern Syria, according to a Turkish official. Since then, no reliable figures have been provided regarding the number of troops deployed in Syria, although a Turkish official stated last month that talks were underway to determine their legal status in the country.

“At this stage, it would not be appropriate to make a preliminary assessment regarding deployment plans or military bases that have not yet been announced,” he said.

He added that “addressing issues related to the future status of Turkish forces in Syria will take into account Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual understanding between the two countries, on-the-ground security conditions, and the evolution of the terrorist threat.”

Turkish forces have also been conducting long-standing operations in northern Iraq, regularly carrying out cross-border operations and air strikes against PKK hideouts while maintaining military bases there, a situation that casts a shadow over Ankara-Baghdad relations.

Troops have been deployed there since 2015 and now number between 800 and 1,000 personnel, according to an Iraqi security source speaking to AFP.

While declining to provide specific numbers, Guler said that troop numbers in Iraq and Syria are assessed based on operational needs.

“The evaluation of our military presence in Iraq and Syria will not be accurate based solely on troop counts. Our force structure and field deployment are determined according to needs” related to the level of threat, border security, and developments on the ground.

As part of the ongoing peace process with the PKK, Kurdish fighters destroyed weapons during a symbolic ceremony last year and evacuated four bases in northern Iraq this month, a move confirmed by Turkish intelligence.

Guler said that the sustainable success of this process requires the PKK to “fully implement its decision to dissolve itself,” with Turkey “closely monitoring the next stages of the process” without abandoning its caution.

As with Syria, Turkey is closely monitoring Iraq’s efforts “to disarm militias and bring them under state control,” Guler affirmed, praising recent successes achieved in the Sinjar region.

Iraq has given Iran-aligned factions until June 30 to hand over their weapons to the state following the end of the US-led coalition’s mission there.

Following the successful operation in Sinjar, Turkey announced last month that it would “gradually” transfer control of the nearby Beshiq base close to the northern city of Mosul to Baghdad, without specifying a timeline for the handover.

Guler stated that Turkey will continue to support Iraq and intends to “elevate the level of military and security cooperation between the two countries” in the coming period.