Syrian military cadets to begin schooling in Turkey

Turkish military academies will begin educating dozens of Syrian military cadets starting on Friday, in a sign of the two countries' deepening defence ties. 

The training of 49 cadets marks the latest form of cooperation between Syria and Turkey after the two countries signed a military accord in August.

Middle East Eye revealed in September that Turkey had begun training Syrian troops in central and eastern Turkey as part of that agreement.

One source said around 300 Syrians, mostly soldiers but also some police officers, are currently being trained at two bases in central and eastern Turkey.

A second source told MEE that Ankara plans to train about 5,000 Syrian soldiers and police in the short term, with the number expected to rise to at least 20,000 over the medium to long term.

The entry of Syrian military cadets into Turkey to train at air, land and naval academies represents a more prestigious aspect of that cooperation.

Reuters said that the cadets will join the Syrian military after completing their education in Turkey.

"Certain units from the Syrian army have started military training in our country through the use of barracks and training grounds belonging to the Turkish Armed Forces," the Turkish defence ministry said, confirming MEE's earlier reporting. 

Rebuilding Syria

Turkey supported several anti-Bashar al-Assad rebel groups during Syria's civil war, including Ahmed al-Sharaa's Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, while it had control of the Idlib governorate. Turkey’s rise as a power inside Syria has grown with Syria’s new government.

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Sharaa, now president of Syria, wants to rebuild and reconstruct the country after a decade of conflict, but he faces pressure from his southern neighbour, Israel, which took advantage of the collapse of Assad’s government to occupy a swath of southern Syria. Israel has launched air strikes on Syria.

Sharaa’s government formally requested Turkish military assistance in July after Israeli air strikes targeted Damascus and Sweida amid intercommunal violence between Druze and Bedouin tribes.

Turkey has about 20,000 troops stationed in Syria, mainly in the country’s north, where they established dozens of bases during Syria’s civil war.

US President Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Syria earlier this year. Analysts and diplomats say Trump has recognised the outsized influence of Turkey and the US’s Gulf allies in Syria.

The US pushed its Nato ally Turkey and Israel to agree to a deconfliction mechanism in the country, but concerns about an accidental clash between the two countries persist.

Ankara and Damascus have also been discussing a broader defence pact that could involve Turkish troop deployments to at least three major Syrian bases.

However, the newly signed training and consultancy agreement does not yet provide a framework for such deployments.