Reports on July 23 claimed that Syria has asked Turkey to train its armed forces. Ostensibly, Damascus wants support against terrorist groups such as ISIS.
This will be welcomed by the US envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, who has blamed extremists for the recent problems there. However, Damascus has many hurdles ahead.
The reports of possible Turkish involvement in providing training support are a surprise, considering the fact that Turkey has been supportive of Syria’s new government.
In addition, Syrian Defense Ministry personnel and other officials frequently visit Turkey. Some of the members of Syria’s new security forces were previously commanders in Turkish-backed Syrian proxy groups.
Additionally, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham controlled Idlib, a city close to the Turkish border, before coming to power in Damascus.
On Tuesday, Syrian Defense Ministry officials arrived in Turkey to take part in the IDEF 2025 defense exhibition. It is unclear whether this is connected to the reports; however, it shows the increasing interest Syria has in Turkish defense products.
According to Syrian state media, “A delegation representing the Defense Ministry participated in the IDEF 2025 defense industry exhibition, being held in Turkey, with the participation of 120 countries and more than 400 defense industry companies from 44 countries.”
Historically, the overall Turkish-Syrian engagement throughout the civil war points to a natural cooperation between Ankara and Damascus. This is in contrast to how things might have been under Bashar al-Assad’s regime, when Damascus and Ankara did not always have warm ties.
It is worth recalling some of the history here. Syria was once part of the Ottoman Empire. When the empire collapsed, it was unclear if Syria’s northern border would include the province of Alexandretta. This area is also called Iskenderun or Hatay. It is now a province of the Republic of Turkey. However, from 1920 to 1938, it was part of the French mandate of Syria.
Later, Syria and Turkey did not always agree on Kurdish issues. Syria hosted Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party. Ocalan, who Ankara saw as a wanted terrorist, resided in Syria from 1978 until 1998. This meant that Ankara saw Syria as a deeply problematic country under Assad’s rule.
That said, when the Syrian civil war broke out, Turkey hedged its bets. It ostensibly backed the Syrian rebels but also tried to co-opt them into what was called the Syrian National Army (SNA).
The SNA was a Turkish-backed proxy group that Ankara used against Kurdish forces. Turkey invaded parts of northern Syria between 2016 and 2019. However, Ankara was not willing to fight against the Syrian regime. Instead, it joined the Astana peace process alongside Russia and Iran, allowing Ankara to play a double game.
When the HTS, which Syria’s current president led, overthrew the Assad regime in December 2024, it caught Turkey by surprise. Turkey reacted quickly to try to shore up its influence in Damascus. Ahmed al-Sharaa, the new president, sought to balance Ankara’s interest with those of Saudi Arabia and other countries.
Turkey's professional army
It is therefore natural that Turkey would train Syria’s security forces. Turkey is a member of NATO, and it has a professional army. Very few other countries in the region would be able to provide Syria with the same level of assistance.
For instance, the Gulf states would likely be unable to provide the same levels of training. Nevertheless, the Gulf might want to be involved because that would bring Syria into US Central Command training operations. As such, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar are candidates when it comes to assisting Syria.
Turkey is also the natural choice because it is already supplying Syria with light armored vehicles and other assistance. It has a land border with Syria. For Turkey, the training is easy because of proximity. Barrack is also the ambassador to Turkey, so this knits together the US, Turkey, and Syria as well.
Syria is creating new army divisions, replacing the ones of the old regime. It has to staff all these units. It is training thousands of men.
Damascus is also trying to integrate with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in eastern Syria. Further, it has integrated a small force that the US trained at Tanf in southern Syria into its 70th Division.
Still, there is a long road ahead. The clashes in Sweida demonstrate that the security forces are often out of control and require professional training. The appointment of some SNA commanders who were known for committing abuses against civilians to positions in the new army is a significant problem for Damascus.
Moreover, a large number of HTS commanders have also moved into the new military, and some are also known for their extreme beliefs and sectarianism. Israel has said that southern Syria must be demilitarized. Any training that Turkey provides will thus be watched closely by Israel.
Any Turkish involvement in Syria will increase Damascus’ ties to Ankara. That will mean that this may also make it more difficult for Israel to continue airstrikes, as Turkey will oppose these strikes. Ankara has already condemned Israel numerous times.