Effects of Iraqi and Syrian Crises on Turkey: A country in the mid of conflict
Civil War taking place in Iraq and Syria have triggered “Salafist movements” because of power vacuums. Thus, terrorist groups following radical path have an opportunity to expanded its influence and establish their dominance in the region because of on-going civil war. In that regard, DAESH/ISIS has posed a significant threat for Turkey and the world due to their “Salafist jihadist” movements and motivations. Therefore, increasing instability has led to broadening extremism with the growing number of FTFs coming from Syria and Iraq.
Increasing extremism and radicalization in the region increase the number of people fleeing from Syria and Iraq. Moreover, terrorist fighters are also becoming more popular and DAESH/ISIS has a certain recruitment process. Under these circumstances, Turkey has focused on the source of problem which is “preventing extremism and radicalism”. Through creating awareness in the society and launching social projects, Turkey aims to reach the individuals who is potentially terrorist fighters or suspicious. In Turkey’s combat against extremism, main aim is to prevent broadening network of “Salafist jihadist movement”. However, Iraqi and Syrian Crises have negative effects on the security of countries, including Turkey. As a result of broadening influence of DAESH/ISIS, this terrorist group has differentiated its combat mechanisms: foreign fighters coming to Iraq and Syria, those staying their hometown and supporting terrorist activities in their country. In that regard, Turkey’s situation, as a both source and transit country, has been heavily affected by those fighters. Thus, the world with the participation of Turkey have been intensely in a certain fight against DAESH/ISIS as a result of increasing strength of this terrorist group in an instable environment in Iraq and Syria. In that environment, they have rearranged their financial resources and social media networks, increased intensity of their recruitment, and spread their terrorist attacks into more places. Turkey, thus, decided to conduct more comprehensive approach to secure the country and its citizens.
Syrian and Iraqi regimes have a significant role in broadening effect of DAESH/ISIS ideology. In many places where there are power vacuum and fragility, this terrorist group can easily establish their safe zone and conduct their activities. Under these circumstances, Turkey, as a neighbor country of the two places, has been under a significant threat because of the increasing number of mobilized terrorist fighters. According to the on-going “Salafist jihadist movement” by DAESH/ISIS, the blowback effect which is that “foreign fighters have the potential to spread the violence to different geographies” is the main concern.[1] In that regard, Turkey’s responsibility, as a Muslim-majority country, is more concrete than other countries. It has pursued a policy that aims to prevent that those terrorists are stuck in Turkey when the course country cancels the citizenship of terrorist fighter. Moreover, Turkey, and locating at the edge of Syrian and Iraqi regime, has raised its high-pitched voice against DAESH/ISIS, radicalism and extremism. Among sharply changing realities taking place in Iraq and Syria and lack of territorial integrity of the two, Turkey’s utmost efforts gains this terrorist group should be harmonized with the international measures. However, Turkey needs to have certain and objective information sharing with other countries regardless of its strength in this combat against DAESH because of world-wide ideologic motivation to join this terrorist group.
In the international platforms, unlike its partner countries, “Turkey intervention program also took a progressive approach to de-radicalization/disengagement by reaching out to clients in every stage of the radicalization and counter-terrorism continuums”[2]. In that regard, return of foreign terrorist is the major problem. “Between 20 and 30 percent of the foreign fighters who went to Syria and Iraq are estimated to have returned to the country they came from.”[3] According to this problem, their integration to the country is the biggest concern for countries, except for Turkey. The Turkish case is the example of “successful deradicalization/disengagement and counter violence extremism policy” through certain social plans and strong integration mechanisms: “a sufficient level of knowledge about the specifics of the terrorist groups, political support for the programs, a stable cadre willing to recognize the value of a prevention-focused counter-terrorism policing approach, as well as a democratic political environment and commitment to negotiated resolution of political conflicts”[4]. In that regard, deradicalization/disengagement programs against terrorism in Iraq and Syria which have been pursued by other countries are able to benefit from Turkey’s experiences and policy.
Turkey is an active member of the international coalition against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Institutionally, both at the national and international levels, Turkey has been fulfilling its responsibilities to fight against violence, extremism and terrorism. Moreover, displaced people have posed a significant threat, as well. In that regard, Turkey has also pursued policies to prevent further expansion of terrorism among those who are fleeing from Syria and Iraq. Therefore, those people who are in need of being protected are placed in Turkey while using the same mobilization routes with the terrorist fighters. Particularly, Turkey has been focusing on meeting their humanitarian needs to prevent those people’s participation in terrorist groups due to their fear of brutal terrorist attacks targeting those.
It is possible to say that foreign fighters coming from Syria and Iraq are posing global threat though they are able to trigger extremist terrorist attacks in Turkey. Thus, these two crises have mainly led to increase the number of terrorist fighters who are either stuck in Turkey while turning their hometown or settled in Turkey. In other words, a great number of terrorist fighters firstly travel to Turkey before passing to their home country. Turkey has internationally and nationally intensified its counter policy as a result of this globally increasing threat. For example, Turkey is the active member and counterpart of Global Coalition against DAESH/ISIS. Under these circumstances, Turkey, as the one hosting many refugees, has been implementing strict measures against a great number of foreign terrorist fighters phenomenon as a result of negative effects of Iraqi and Syrian Crises on the region including Turkey.
[1] Yalçınkaya, Haldun. “Turkey’s Struggle Against the Foreign Terrorist Fighters of DAESH”, Perceptions: Journal of International Affairs 21.1 (2016): 27-44.
[2] Schmitt, Eric, Alissa J. Rubin, and Thomas Gibbons-Neff. “ISIS Is Regaining Strength in Iraq and Syria.” The New York Times 19 (2019). Retrieved from, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/19/us/politics/isis-iraq-syria.html
[3] Barrett, Richard, et al. “Foreign fighters: An updated assessment of the flow of foreign fighters into Syria and Iraq.” The Soufan Group 4 (2015).
[4] San, Serdar. “Counter-terrorism policing innovations in Turkey: a case study of Turkish National Police CVE experiment.” Policing and Society (2018): 1-16.
TURKEY'S FIGHT AGAINST DAESH/ISIL 