DAESH/ISIS is a terrorist organization posing a significant and global threat for the stability and prosperity in dThe Arab Spring, started as a non-violent social uprising in 2010 but soon afterwards triggered a violent form of popular demands when faced a repressive response from the Arab regimes in the Middle East. Among the root causes of the Arab Spring were wide spread social inequality, the widening democratic gap between the governing elites and the masses, and the structural absence of hope through peaceful and democratic change for a better future. In this order, Syria quickly became a space for popular demand towards change, which met a similar course of repressive response from the authoritarian Assad regime. Peaceful demonstrations started in Syria in March 2011. However, after a brief encounter, chaos took hold paving the way for all out civil war on a sectarian basis, triggering mass casualties, internal displacement of the population, and outward migration.
Geo-strategically, Turkey, sharing 911 km (566 mi) border with Syria, is located in a region highly suffering from DAESH/ISIS attacks. Hence, it, as a leading actor in Global Daesh Coalition Group and Foreign Terrorist Fighters Working Group since they were founded, aims at degrading Daesh’s frightening activities in both its territory and beyond its borders. In this regard, Turkey is an active participant in the UN resolutions and counter-terrorism action plan in order to eradicate all terrorism threat. Turkey, due to inefficient international efforts against Daesh, launched a cross-border military operation in 24 August 2016 to control its border security. Operation Euphrates Shield and Operation Peace Spring, liberating the region from Daesh terrorists, were conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces with the support of Free Syrian Army to secure Turkey’s border.
Despite its military operations and efficient diplomatic manners halting Daesh in the region, Turkey was exposed to black propaganda in the media outlets of the countries pursuing a policy which legitimizes PYD/YPG, which is PKK’s Syrian branch. This terrorist threat, therefore, requests a utmost global solution. In this context, the project which is entitled “Turkey is fighting against Daesh” aims:
- To explain Turkey’s counter Daesh strategy through firsthand information (international statistical data, academicians’ reports, ambassadors’ interviews, bureaucratic discourses’ analysis, etc.)
- To mitigate the misinformation about Turkey’s counter Daesh strategy and give transparent information
- To pool a comprehensive digital storage of Turkey’s efforts to fight against Daesh
- To clarify what Turkey has being done to counter and prevent radicalization, terrorist recruitment and violent extremism by Daesh
- To strengthen a common action approach and broaden awareness counter-Daesh
TURKEY'S FIGHT AGAINST DAESH/ISIL 