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Türkiye has started training Syrian army personnel as part of a bilateral agreement aimed at rebuilding Syria’s defense and security institutions, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
Ankara has been providing training, advisory and technical support at the request of Damascus since the deal was signed in August, the ministry said in a statement.
Within the framework of close cooperation to strengthen Syria’s defense and security capacities, 49 Syrian cadets (10 army, 18 navy and 21 air force) will begin training at Turkish military academies on Friday, ministry spokesperson Zeki Aktürk said at a weekly press briefing.
Touching on cooperation with Syria, the spokesperson noted that the Syrian government “continues its diligent efforts toward restructuring all institutions and ensuring stability and security in the country.”
The ministry, in a separate statement, also stressed that issues concerning the “integration of the terror organization SDF into the Syrian government” are being closely and carefully monitored by Turkish authorities.
Recently, Ferhat Abdi Şahin, code-named “Mazloum Kobani,” the wanted ringleader of the YPG/SDF, said that the group had agreed in principle on a plan to merge the force as a cohesive group into the national army.
It follows the March deal between the SDF and Damascus, under which the SDF forces would merge with the new Syrian national army. The agreement, which is supposed to be implemented by the end of the year, would also bring all border crossings with Iraq and Türkiye, as well as airports and oil fields in the northeast, under the central government’s control. Detention centers housing thousands of Daesh members, now guarded by the YPG terrorist group, would also come under government control.
However, the agreement left the details vague and progress on implementation has been slow. A central sticking point has been whether the YPG would remain as a cohesive unit in the new army or whether the force would be dissolved and its members individually absorbed into the new military.
Aktürk underlined that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) continue to make significant contributions to regional and global security and stability.
At the National Defense University’s Military Academies and Non-Commissioned Officer Vocational Schools, 696 cadets and 241 NCO students from 29 friendly and allied countries are currently receiving training, he added.
Aktürk also said the second round of confidence-building measures meetings between Türkiye and Greece for 2025 took place in Izmir on Oct. 23, during which previously agreed-upon measures were reviewed and the 2026 implementation plan was discussed.
Fight against terrorism
“In the past week, seven more PKK terrorists surrendered. Search and sweep operations to detect and destroy caves, shelters, mines, and improvised explosives along the border and beyond continue,” Aktürk said.
“With the destruction of a 6-kilometer (3.72-mile) tunnel in Tal Rifat and Manbij, the total length of tunnels neutralized in the Syrian operation zones has reached 708 kilometers,” he added.
The disarmament and dissolution process of the PKK terror organization is being “managed and closely monitored” by the relevant state institutions, the ministry statement said.
Border security
In the past week, Aktürk said 181 people, including three members of a terrorist organization, were apprehended while attempting to cross Türkiye’s borders illegally, while 881 were prevented from crossing.
Since Jan. 1, some 8,205 people have been detained for illegal border crossings, with another 55,600 stopped before reaching the border.
The spokesperson said reconnaissance, surveillance and patrol activities continue without interruption, adding that 122.6 kilograms of narcotics were seized on the Van border line and 36 kilograms of smuggled gold on the Hakkari border line.
Israeli attacks on Gaza
Aktürk said Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip constitute a clear violation of the cease-fire.
“The full implementation of the cease-fire agreement aimed at establishing peace in Gaza, Israel’s full compliance with the agreement, and the swift restoration of peace and security in our region are essential,” he said.
He added that, as one of the architects of the cease-fire agreement, Ankara is ready to contribute to the establishment of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region, as well as peace in Gaza, as it has done previously.
The ministry also underlined that contacts with relevant counterparts regarding the establishment of a task force in Gaza continue.
“Türkiye continues diplomatic and military consultations with other countries.”
Türkiye-UK Eurofighter deal
“To meet the operational needs of our Air Force Command, a contract was signed with the United Kingdom on Oct. 27, 2025, for the procurement of newly manufactured Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, equipment and various ammunition,” the ministry statement said.
The total project cost for 20 newly produced Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, along with related mission equipment and various types and quantities of munitions, amounts to approximately 5.4 billion pounds ($7.10 billion), the statement added.
It said work is currently underway to procure Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from Qatar and Oman to support the country’s Air Force Command’s operational requirements.
