Kyrenia, Cyprus. The Turkish armed forces are considering stationing a new commando brigade in the mountains above Kyrenia, according to information cited by the Cyprus Mail. A Turkish defence ministry spokesman said work has begun to increase the number of commando brigades in operation.
Plans to expand commando brigade numbers
Turkish defence ministry spokesman Rear Admiral Zeki Akturk confirmed on Thursday that “work has begun to increase the number of commando brigades” in operation in the Turkish armed forces.
He said the work is being carried out “in line with the experiences and needs gained following the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the US’ and Israeli attacks on Iran”.
Akturk said the new commando brigades are planned to be organised within a modern approach, based on current threat assessments and operational concepts, and differing from existing organisational structures.
Defence minister outlines three-year target and Nato role
Akturk’s comments followed remarks last week by Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler, who said he aims to increase the number of operational Turkish commando brigades from 25 to 40 within the next three years.
Guler said the brigades are units that apply hybrid warfare techniques, and made the comments while announcing that Turkey will take over the command of Nato’s allied reaction force for two years from 2028.
Cyprus Mail cites Alevkaya as possible location
Intelligence sources cited by the Cyprus Mail said that under current Turkish military plans, one of the new commando brigades would be based in Alevkaya, east of Kyrenia, between the Nicosia district village of Kalyvakia and the Kyrenia district village of Charkeia, atop the Pentadaktylos mountains.
The report said a Turkish regiment is already based near Alevkaya and that the plans foresee expanding the stationing into a brigade, which would entail more soldiers and more skilled soldiers in the area.
Current deployment and recent operations
The report said every Turkish commando brigade is currently stationed within the borders of the Republic of Turkey, with most in the east and a few in the Aegean sea region.
Turkish commandos wear distinctive blue berets and have been deployed in various theatres, most recently in operations in Syria prior to the fall of the regime led by Bashar al-Assad in 2024, and in operations against the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) on both sides of Turkey’s border with Iraq.
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