Turkey military operations: live tracking of cross-border strikes and regional conflicts

Turkey is one of the most militarily active NATO members, conducting ongoing cross-border operations in Syria and Iraq against Kurdish militant groups while simultaneously playing a complex diplomatic role between Russia and the West. Turkey has the second-largest military in NATO with over 355,000 active personnel and one of the most capable armed forces in the Middle East.

Turkey's primary military focus has been its campaign against the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) and its Syrian affiliate, the YPG/SDF — which the US considers a key ally against ISIS. This creates an extraordinary situation where two NATO allies (Turkey and the US) support opposing forces in the same theater. Turkey has launched multiple major operations into northern Syria since 2016 and conducts regular airstrikes and ground operations against PKK positions in northern Iraq.

Track Turkish military activity on our conflict map and see regional context on our Middle East conflict tracker and Syria tracker.

Turkey controls a buffer zone along approximately 100 km of northern Syria through a combination of Turkish military forces and Syrian National Army (SNA) proxy forces. Three major operations — Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019) — established Turkish control over key border towns including Jarablus, Afrin, and Ras al-Ayn.

Turkey considers the YPG/PYD (the Syrian Kurdish military and political organizations) to be extensions of the PKK terrorist organization and has repeatedly threatened further operations to clear Kurdish forces from its border. These threats have created diplomatic friction with the United States, which partnered with the YPG-led SDF to defeat ISIS and maintains a military presence in northeastern Syria.

Turkey has also been deeply involved in Syria's Idlib province, operating observation posts and backing rebel groups against Assad government forces. Turkish and Russian forces patrol overlapping areas in northern Syria under a fragile deconfliction arrangement.

Turkey occupies a unique strategic position as a NATO member that borders Syria, Iraq, and Iran while maintaining a working relationship with Russia. Turkey controls the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits — the only passage between the Black Sea and Mediterranean — giving it enormous leverage over Russian naval operations.

Turkey activated the Montreux Convention in 2022 to restrict warship transit through the straits during the Russia-Ukraine war, demonstrating its geostrategic significance. Turkey also hosts Incirlik Air Base, a key US/NATO facility, and is part of NATO's nuclear sharing arrangement (hosting US B61 nuclear gravity bombs).

However, Turkey's 2019 purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense systems created a major rift with NATO and led to Turkey's expulsion from the F-35 fighter jet program. This dual alignment between NATO and Russia makes Turkey one of the most consequential swing states in global geopolitics.

Turkey's conflict with the PKK, which has fought for Kurdish autonomy since 1984 in a war that has killed over 40,000 people, drives much of its military activity. The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU. PKK leadership operates from the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq, and Turkey conducts regular airstrikes and maintains forward operating bases in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Operations Claw-Lightning and Claw-Lock (launched 2021-2022) established a network of Turkish military bases deep inside Iraqi territory, creating friction with the Iraqi central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Turkey's stated goal is to establish a continuous security zone along its borders, but these operations have drawn criticism for civilian casualties and sovereignty violations.

The PKK has also carried out deadly attacks inside Turkey, including bombings targeting civilians and security forces, which Turkey cites as justification for its cross-border operations. The Kurdish political and military landscape spans four countries — Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran — making it one of the most complex transnational conflicts in the world. Monitor developments on our current wars tracker.