In recent years, Turkey has emerged as one of the most active military players across the Middle East and Africa, establishing bases, deploying troops, and forming new alliances stretching from Cyprus, northern Iraq and Syria, to Somalia, Qatar, Libya, and even Chad.
This wide deployment reflects Ankara’s evolving strategy under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reassert Turkey as a dominant regional—and even transregional—power. But these moves come with risks, particularly when Turkish forces operate near, or in opposition to, other major players like Egypt and Israel.
Where does Turkey have boots on the ground?
Iraq & Syria: Turkey maintains dozens of bases in northern Iraq, ostensibly to fight the PKK, and controls swaths of northern Syria via the Turkish army and allied rebel groups. Its goals include containing Kurdish autonomy, limiting refugee flow, and preserving influence in post-Assad Syria.