Turkish Military Forces in Northern Cyprus

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The Turkish military retains a large armed force in the north of the island of Cyprus, located in the Eastern Mediterranean. The region of land that the military force occupies refers to itself as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and this is recognised only by Turkey.

Map of Cyprus showing political divisions following the 1974 invasion
Map of Cyprus showing political divisions following the 1974 invasion

Contents

[edit] Military Personnel in Northern Cyprus

It is not possible to give an exactly accurate number of military personnel serving in northern Cyprus, due to conflicting public sources of information.

Estimated active military personnel serving in northern Cyprus at any given time are:

[edit] Military Equipment in Northern Cyprus

Again, it is not possible to give an exactly accurate number of types of military equipment in northern Cyprus, due to conflicting public sources of information, and in this case, the information is presented as estimates.

[edit] Main Battle Tanks

  • M48A5T1 ~ 156 - 169 (Imported before 1990)
  • M48A5T2 ~ 231 (Imported between 1994 and 1998)
  • M48A2C ~ 9 (Imported before 1990)

[edit] Armoured Fighting Vehicles

  • AIFV / AAPC ~ 208 (Imported after 1995)

[edit] Armoured Personnel Carriers

  • M113A1 ~ 255 (Imported after 1995)

[edit] Self Propelled Howitzers

  • M110A2 ~ 12
  • M44T ~ 24
  • M52T ~ 36

[edit] Multiple Rocket Launchers

  • T-122 ~ 18

[edit] Towed Howitzers

  • various calibers (including M114A1)~ 138

[edit] Anti-Tank Missiles

  • Konkurs ~ 18
  • TOW ~ 36 (Imported in 1994)
  • MILAN ~ 48

[edit] Recoiless Rifles

  • M40A1 ~ 170

[edit] Mortars

  • various calibers ~ 205
  • radar-assisted ~ 4

[edit] Historical Background to the Turkish Military in Cyprus

The Turkish Army has retained a permament military presence in Cyprus since 1960, along with Greece, originally in the form of a garrison, authorised by the Cyprus Constitution of 1960. This is the order of battle of those forces, prior to 1974:

Gφnyeli Grubu (Gφnyeli Group)

  • 2 Piyade Bolugu (2nd Infantry Company)
  • 3 Piyade Bolugu (3rd Infantry Company)
  • Agir Silah Bolugu (Heavy Weapons Company)

Ortakoy Grubu (Ortakoy Group)

  • 1 Piyade Bolugu (1st Infantry Company)
  • 4 Piyade Bolugu (4th Infantry Company)
  • Alay Kh. Srv. Bolugu (Regimental HQ Company)

In July 1974, Turkey invaded the north of Cyprus after a coup by the Cypriot National Guard against the democratically-elected President, Archbishop Makarios III. Turkish forces involved in the 1974 action included:

  • An airborne (parachute) brigade (Brig.Gen. Everen)
  • A commando brigade (Brig.Gen. Demirbag)
  • A Special Strike Force Landing Brigade (Brig.Gen. Tuncer)
  • The 39th Infantry Division (Maj.Gen. Demirel)
  • The 28th Infantry Division (Maj.Gen. Polat)

Since the 16th of August 1974, the Turkish Army has retained occpuational control of the northern 37% of Cyprus.

[edit] Officers and Unit Structure

The current commanding officers of the Turkish Army are:

  • Chief of the Turkish General Staff: General Yaşar Büyükanıt
  • Commander of the Army: General İlker Başbuğ

The Cyprus Turkish Forces Command is an independent command from the rest of the Turkish Army, and is equipped with two mechanised infantry divisions, as well as supporting external brigades and regiments.

[edit] Sources

  • Cyprus Mail, Thursday, November 19, 1998
  • Phileleftheros, Wednesday, November 18, 1998
  • Cyprus News Agency, October 8, 1998
  • Cyprus News Agency, November 21, 1997
  • Cyprus News Agency, October 27, 1997
  • The Military Balance 1996/97, The International Institute for Strategic Studies, London.
  • 2004 - 2005 Defence Bible (Stratigiki)
  • "Cyprus, 1974", by T. Cooper and N. Tselepidis, published October 28th 2003 for ACIG.org.
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