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Türkiye Establishes Presence in Syria with 10,000 Soldiers, Dozens of Military Bases

Fighters of an extremist faction backed by Türkiye in the countryside of the city of Al-Bab, Aleppo Governorate, last January 8 (AFP)
Fighters of an extremist faction backed by Türkiye in the countryside of the city of Al-Bab, Aleppo Governorate, last January 8 (AFP)
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Türkiye Establishes Presence in Syria with 10,000 Soldiers, Dozens of Military Bases

Fighters of an extremist faction backed by Türkiye in the countryside of the city of Al-Bab, Aleppo Governorate, last January 8 (AFP)
Fighters of an extremist faction backed by Türkiye in the countryside of the city of Al-Bab, Aleppo Governorate, last January 8 (AFP)

For the past months, Turkish armed forces in northwestern Syria de-escalation zones have carried out redeployment and mergers at military points that were established under a Turkish-Russian agreement in 2017.

According to an agreement within the framework of the Astana talks, Türkiye gained the opportunity to expand its deployment of military points in the areas of contact within de-escalation zones.

The map of Turkish military deployment expanded until mid-2021 to include 113 military sites spread across five governorates: 55 in Aleppo, 43 in Idlib, nine in Raqqa, four in Hasakah, and two in Latakia.

However, the number of those sites was later reduced to 64 because of redeployment operations.

Turkish army deployment in northwestern Syria currently constitutes an obstacle to regime and Russian forces, as well as Iranian militias.

Turkish military points and bases are distributed in a way designed to make it difficult for pro-regime forces to advance towards opposition-held areas without first clashing with the Turkish forces directly.

According to a report published by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Friday, seven Turkish military brigades are currently deployed in Syria de-escalation zones. The brigades are distributed over 49 main military bases.

These bases are tasked with securing logistics support for Turkish forces.

Each combat brigade consists of 1,500 soldiers, meaning that the full number of Turkish forces in de-escalation zones amounts to 10,500 fully equipped soldiers.

Every military base in the region hosts dozens or hundreds of soldiers affiliated to different disciplines, such as engineering, special units, artillery units, missile units, and communication.

These forces are backed by artillery, tanks, armored vehicles, anti-aircraft systems and mine sweepers.

Moreover, every base contains a telecommunication tower of a Turkish mobile network.

Around 200 tanks, 400 armored vehicles, 800 armored personnel carriers and dozens of trucks and four-wheel drive vehicles are stationed in every Turkish base.

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Abbas Denounces Israeli Gaza Offensive at UN, Insists: 'We Will Not Leave'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
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Abbas Denounces Israeli Gaza Offensive at UN, Insists: 'We Will Not Leave'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

The head of the Palestinian Authority denounced Israel and its offensive in the Gaza Strip in front of world leaders Thursday, appealing to other nations to stop what he called a “genocidal war” against a place and people he said had been totally destroyed.
Mahmoud Abbas used the rostrum of the UN General Assembly as he typically does — to criticize Israel. But this was the first time he did so since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel that triggered an Israeli military operation that has devastated the Gaza Strip.
Abbas strode to the podium to loud applause and a few unintelligible shouts. His first words were a sentence repeated three times: “We will not leave. We will not leave. We will not leave.”
He accused Israel of destroying Gaza and making it unlivable. And he said that his government should govern post-war Gaza as part of an independent Palestinian state, a vision that Israel’s hardline government rejects.
“Palestine is our homeland. It is the land of our fathers and our grandfathers. It will remain ours. And if anyone were to leave, it would be the occupying usurpers," The Associated Press quoted him as saying.
A nationwide series of campus protests against Israel's operations in Gaza swept the United States in the spring and largely originated at Columbia University, about 70 blocks north of the United Nations.
“The American people are marching in the streets in these demonstrations. We are appreciative of them," Abbas said.
Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 41,500 Palestinians and wounded more than 96,000 others, according to the latest figures released Thursday by the Health Ministry.

Abbas spent big chunks of his speech at the United Nations talking about the state of life in Gaza, and he painted a bleak picture.
"Entire family names have been written out of the civil record," he said. "Gaza is no longer fit for life. Most homes have been destroyed. The same applies for most buildings. ... Roads. Churches. Mosques. Water plants. Electric plants. Sanitation plants. Anyone who has gone to Gaza and known it before would not recognize it anymore.”
Among his demands, none of which are new: A full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip — not “buffer zones.” Allowing Gaza's displaced Palestinians — an estimated 90% of the population — to return to their homes. And a central role for Abbas' government in any future Gaza.
“Stop this crime. Stop it now. Stop killing children and women. Stop the genocide. Stop sending weapons to Israel. This madness cannot continue. The entire world is responsible for what is happening to our people in Gaza and the West Bank.”