List of wars involving Turkey

This is a list of wars involving the Republic of Turkey and includes conflicts such as coups, insurgencies, offensives, border and international disputes since the Turkish War of Independence in 1919. For wars before 1919, involving the Ottoman Empire, see List of wars involving the Ottoman Empire.

*e.g. a treaty or peace without a clear result, status quo ante bellum, result of civil or internal conflict, result unknown or indecisive, inconclusive

Wars Conflict Turkeyand allies Opponent(s) Results Leaders President(s) Prime Minister(s) / Vice President(s) War of Independence(1919–1922) Franco-Turkish War (1918–1921) Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) Turkish–Armenian War (1920) Turkish Nationalists: Allied powers:Turkish victoryChester Neal Tate, Governments of the World: a Global Guide to Citizens' Rights and Responsibilities, Macmillan Reference USA/Thomson Gale, 2006, p. 205. According to John R. Ferris, "Decisive Turkish victory in Anatolia... produced Britain's gravest strategic crisis between the 1918 Armistice and Munich, plus a seismic shift in British politics..." Erik Goldstein and Brian McKerche, Power and Stability: British Foreign Policy, 1865–1965, 2004 p. 139 Establishment of the Republic of TurkeyMustafa Kemal AtatürkFevzi Çakmak

Rauf Orbay

Fethi Okyar Sheikh Said rebellion(1925) Azadî Victory Revolt suppressedMustafa Kemal Atatürkİsmet İnönü Ararat rebellion(1927–1930) Republic of Ararat Victory Revolt suppressedMustafa Kemal Atatürkİsmet İnönü Dersim massacre(1937–1938) Kurdish Alevi rebels Victory Revolt suppressedMustafa Kemal Atatürkİsmet İnönü

Celâl Bayar World War II(1939–1945) Turkish declaration of war on Germany and Japan Victory Collapse of the German Reich Fall of Japanese and Italian Empires Creation of the United Nations Emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as superpowers Beginning of the Cold Warİsmet İnönüŞükrü Saracoğlu Korean War(1950–1953) Stalemate Korean Armistice AgreementCelâl BayarAdnan Menderes Turkish invasion of Cyprus(1974) TMT Cyprus Greece Victory Turkish overall control of 36.2% of CyprusFahri KorutürkBülent Ecevit Kurdistan Workers' Party insurgency (1978–2025) Turkish operations during the conflict Turkey Ministry of National Defense General Staff Special Forces Command TAF Turkish Air Force Turkish Land Forces Turkish Naval Forces Ministry of Interior Turkish National Police Police Special Operations Gendarmerie General Command JİTEM (until early 1990s) JÖH Village Guards National Intelligence Organization Other forces: Counter-Guerrilla (Until 1992) Grey Wolves (Not militarily involved) Turkish Revenge Brigade (Not militarily involved)Metelits, Claire, Inside Insurgency: Violence, Civilians, and Revolutionary Group Behavior, (New York University Press, 2010), 154–155. Some Kurdish tribes (until 1985; became Village Guards) Kurdistan Communities Union PKK HPG YJA-STAR YDG-H: YPS YPS-Jin SDF YPG YPG International YPJ Anti-Terror Units PJAK YRK HPJ Sinjar Alliance Êzîdxan Women's Units Sinjar Resistance Units HBDH DKP MKP-HKO-PHG MLKP THKP-C/MLSPB-DC TKEP/L TKP/ML DK (until 2017) International Freedom Battalion

TAK 2025 Turkey–PKK peace processFahri Korutürk

Kenan Evren

Turgut Özal

Süleyman Demirel

Ahmet Necdet Sezer

Abdullah Gül

Recep Tayyip ErdoğanBülent Ecevit

Süleyman Demirel

Bülend Ulusu

Turgut Özal

Yıldırım Akbulut

Mesut Yılmaz

Tansu Çiller

Necmettin Erbakan

Abdullah Gül

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Ahmet Davutoğlu

Binali Yıldırım

Fuat Oktay

Cevdet Yılmaz Gulf War(1990–1991) Iraq Republic of Kuwait (Iraqi puppet state) Victory Iraqi forces expelled from Kuwait Kuwaiti independence restored Destruction of Iraqi and Kuwaiti infrastructure Shia and Kurdish uprisings against the Iraqi government Saddam Hussein regime of the Iraqi Baathist government retains power in Iraq UN sanctions against Iraq Iraqi no-fly zones established United Nations Security Council Resolution 687 establishes cease-fire terms, beginning of the Iraq disarmament controversies State of Kuwait restored Iraqi Kurdistan obtains autonomy, establishment of the northern Iraq no fly zone by the US'Turgut ÖzalYıldırım Akbulut Bosnian War(1995)(Participant in NATO Operation Deliberate Force) Victory Turkey committed 8 of 173 aircraft in the NATO force, flew 2.2 percent of sorties Dayton Agreement, deployment of NATO-led IFORSüleyman DemirelTansu Çiller Iraqi Kurdish Civil War(1997) KDP PUK PKK Ceasefire Peace treaty between the KDP and the PUKSüleyman DemirelNecmettin Erbakan

Mesut Yılmaz Kosovo War(1998–1999)(Participant in NATO Operation Allied Force) UÇK Victory Turkey committed 11 F-16 aircraft to the NATO force, and US use of air bases Kumanovo TreatySüleyman DemirelMesut Yılmaz

Bülent Ecevit War in Afghanistan(2001–2021) Taliban Taliban victory / Turkish-allied defeat Fall of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in 2001 International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) concluded their mission in 2014 Resolute Support Mission (RSM) was a non-combat mission and terminated in 2021 with the US-led withdrawal Taliban control over Afghanistan increases compared to pre-intervention territory Return of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in 2021Ahmet Necdet Sezer

Abdullah Gül

Recep Tayyip ErdoğanBülent Ecevit

Abdullah Gül

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Ahmet Davutoğlu

Binali Yıldırım

Fuat Oktay Boko Haram insurgency(2009–present) Multinational Joint Task Force

Local militias and vigilantes CJTF, BOYES (Nigeria) Comités de vigilance (Chad, Cameroon) Dan banga (Niger) Foreign mercenaries STTEP Boko Haram (partially aligned with ISIL from 2015) Shekau faction Several minor factions ISWAP (originally Barnawi faction of Boko Haram; from 2016) Ansaru OngoingAbdullah Gül

Recep Tayyip ErdoğanRecep Tayyip Erdoğan

Ahmet Davutoğlu

Binali Yıldırım

Fuat Oktay

Cevdet YılmazFirst Libyan Civil War(2011)(Assisted NATO military intervention) NTC Victory Turkey helped enforce the no-fly zone and naval blockade The NTC assumed interim control of LibyaAbdullah GülRecep Tayyip ErdoğanSyrian civil war(2011–2024) Operation Euphrates Shield (2016–2017) Operation Olive Branch (2018–2019) Operation Peace Spring (2019) Operation Spring Shield (2020) Operation Deterrence of Aggression (2024)

(2012-2017, 2024) Ba'athist Syria Victory Turkish occupation of Northern Syria Turkish military operation in Idlib Governorate Fall of the Assad regime in 2024 Defeat of the Iranian intervention in the Syrian civil war Return of refugees of the Syrian civil warAbdullah Gül

Recep Tayyip ErdoğanRecep Tayyip Erdoğan

Ahmet Davutoğlu

Binali Yıldırım

Fuat Oktay

Cevdet YılmazTurkish involvement in the Syrian civil war(2011–2025) Operation Euphrates Shield (2016–2017) Operation Olive Branch (2018–2019) Operation Peace Spring (2019) Operation Spring Shield (2020) Syrian Democratic ForcesIFB Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Ba'athist Syria Libyan National Army Ongoing Turkish occupation of Northern Syria Turkish military operation in Idlib Governorate Fall of the Assad regime in 2024 Syrian peace processAbdullah Gül

Recep Tayyip ErdoğanRecep Tayyip Erdoğan

Ahmet Davutoğlu

Binali Yıldırım

Fuat Oktay

Cevdet Yılmaz Mali War(2012–present) Government of Mali Military of Mali (2013–2022) (2014–present) (2017–present)

MINUSMA (2013–2023)

Non-state combatants: Ganda Iso MAA-Loyaliste MSA (from 2016) GATIA (from 2014) Wagner Group (from 2021)

Coordination of Azawad Movements(CMA) National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad(MNLA) High Council for the Unity of Azawad(HCUA) MAA-CMA Al-Qaeda Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (2017–present) Al-Mourabitoun (2013–17) Ansar al-Sharia (2012–present) Ansar Dine (2012–17) AQIM (2012–17) Macina Liberation Front (2015–17) MOJWA (2011–13) Nigerian jihadist volunteers (2012–13) Boko Haram (2012–13) Ansaru (2012–13)

Islamic State in the Greater Sahara Ongoing Turkish intervention intensifies in 2022Recep Tayyip ErdoğanFuat Oktay

Cevdet Yılmaz American-led intervention in Iraq(2014–2017) Victory Turkish intervention in July 2015Recep Tayyip ErdoğanAhmet Davutoğlu

Binali Yıldırım Turkish intervention in Libya (2020–present) Syrian Interim Government SADAT International Defense Consultancy In support of: Government of National Accord (until 2021) Government of National Unity (since 2021) House of Representatives Wagner Group Gaddafi loyalists Popular Front for the Liberation of Libya Ongoing Turkish-GNA victory Turkey and its proxies pushed LNA out of Tripoli; ceasefire GNA repelled the LNA offensive and advanced towards Sirte and Western LibyaRecep Tayyip ErdoğanFuat Oktay

Cevdet Yılmaz

See also

Civil conflict in Turkey Military history of Turkey List of wars involving the Ottoman Empire List of battles involving the Ottoman Empire Military history of the Ottoman Empire List of wars involving the Sultanate of Rum

Notes

References

Bibliography