Turkey has officially begun training the newly formed Syrian armed forces under a landmark military cooperation agreement signed with Damascus in August 2025, marking a significant shift in the post-civil war regional landscape. The initiative combines comprehensive training programs, the provision of military equipment, and a gradual withdrawal of Turkish troops from northern Syria.
According to sources familiar with the matter, approximately 300 Syrian personnel — predominantly soldiers, with some police officers — have been enrolled in intensive training programs at two military bases in central and eastern Turkey since September. The courses mirror elements of the Turkish Armed Forces’ (TSK) own curriculum, covering commando tactics, infantry maneuvers, and combined-arms coordination. Turkish officials project that in the medium term, the number of trained Syrian troops could increase to at least 20,000.
The program is a direct result of the August 2025 security agreement signed between Ankara and Syria’s new government, which emerged after the end of the country’s prolonged civil conflict. The deal is designed to rebuild Syria’s military capacity by sharing Turkish expertise, providing weapons systems, and supplying logistical support. Turkish authorities have also begun transferring military equipment and technical assistance to Syrian units under the terms of the accord.
As part of this realignment, Turkish forces have started withdrawing from long-standing positions in northern Aleppo, where they have maintained a presence for roughly eight years. Bases in Azaz and Jarablus have already been vacated and handed over to security forces loyal to the new Syrian administration. Personnel and equipment from these sites are being redeployed to Turkey’s border provinces, including Hatay, Gaziantep, and Kilis.
This evolving cooperation comes amid heightened regional tensions. In recent weeks, Israeli air strikes targeted several Syrian sites, including ammunition depots and an air defense training school in Latakia, Homs, and Suwayda. Israeli security officials claimed the strikes were aimed at warehouses storing Turkish-made missiles and defense systems, warning that any perceived threat would be met with force.
Turkey is also intensifying pressure on the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate into the new Syrian security structures. Ankara regards the SDF as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which it considers a terrorist organization, and has pressed Damascus to take steps to dismantle or absorb the Kurdish units. On September 5, Turkish Defense Ministry spokesman Zeki Akturk reiterated that SDF resistance to disarmament poses a danger to both Syrian unity and Turkey’s national security.
Regional analysts see the Turkish-Syrian rapprochement as a pivotal moment in the effort to stabilize Syria after years of conflict. Experts suggest that the cooperation not only lays the foundation for a modernized Syrian army but also represents a strategic counterbalance to ongoing Israeli air campaigns and internal security threats. However, human rights concerns persist, as local monitoring groups, including the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, report that security forces and allied militias have carried out thousands of extrajudicial executions since the new government assumed power late last year.