The codenames assigned to operations by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) are significant in their own way.
This led me to wonder why the operation concerning the Süleyman Şah mausoleum was codenamed “Şah Fırat.”
The Şah comes from Süleyman Şah. The Fırat comes as a result of the mausoleum’s location near the river Fırat. (Fırat is the Turkish name for the Euphrates.)
The operation lasted nine hours, just as was planned. It lasted precisely nine hours and 43 minutes. Plans are not always executed within the set timeframes but this time the operation was successfully completed within the set timeframe.
A predetermined keyword was used to issue the go-ahead for the operation at exactly 0902.
Our units attached to the special forces had infiltrated the area using their own methods 48 hours prior to the operation. They were dressed in local civilian garb. They cleared the route. They took up positions and guarded the route both while going to and returning from the target area. They are called “unsung heroes” within the TSK.
They returned to the country yesterday without incurring any loss of life.
Now we come to the topic of the PYD (Democratic Union Party in Syria.)
The MIT (National Intelligence Organization) used its own channels and sent a notification to the PYD and ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.) The PYD tried to turn this into propaganda material. The PYD responded to the notification saying, “Postpone the operation and let us discuss it at the canton council first.” Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu was informed of the situation. He responded firmly and said, “The operation will go ahead as planned.” A second request arrived from the PYD. The PYD wanted the number of military units participating in the operation to be reduced. It suggested that “only a company’s worth of soldiers be involved.” This, too, was rejected.
Neither the PYD nor ISIL were told to accompany us or provide safety along the route. After the PYD and ISIL were notified, they were sent the message that “we will launch a full-blown assault at the slightest sign of activity.”
Was the slightest activity witnessed during the operation? Some vehicles belonging to the PYD tailed our military units while they were en route. They weren’t there for protection or to harass. It was just meant to show that they were there too. ISIL was not spotted anywhere. One more point. This means that balances in the Middle East will change if Turks and Kurds don’t clash in this region, or even form an alliance. When considered from the glass half full perspective, doesn’t the Şah Fırat operation, even if it is only passive cooperation, point to this? This is why ensuring the success of the resolution process is hugely significant not just with respect to Turkey but with regard to the region as a whole.
Meanwhile, I should state that some of the officials I spoke to do not deny the PYD’s contribution to the operation. What would have happened if a PYD or ISIL attack had been launched while our military units were en route? Of course such a scenario was not desirable but the operation plan was not prepared with easy transit in mind. An immediate and effective response would have been delivered. Any potential attack on our soldiers would result in the attackers finding themselves in hell.
I have been trying to talk to all segments of society for two days now. We can perform a 40-km deep incursion into an area that has been in the grips of a civil war for years, an area that has become an international breeding ground for terrorists, conduct an operation and withdraw without a single soldier getting harmed, except for one accident. This is such an example of a successful operation that it could be taught during “tactical” lessons at war academies.
It is a major success in political terms too. Who would be blamed if the operation had ended in failure? The government. I would like to delve deeper into this question.
I have a question for those who are unhappy or trying to downplay the fact that Turkey astonished the world and accomplished an amazing feat by entering the hell that is Syria with 572 troops and 39 tanks and retrieved every single item at the mausoleum right down to the sheet covering the tomb.
Before I ask my question, I would like them to recall the brutal immolation in a steel cage of the Jordanian pilot made to dress in orange overalls and the foreign journalists who were beheaded. Turkey, through this successful move, removed the possibility of such a fate befalling its troops stationed there.
The Şah Fırat operation resulted in the resurfacing of habits and thought processes that existed during the days of military tutelage. For instance, crediting the military for the success of the operation. A successful operation was conducted. Instructions to conduct the operation came from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. It was the president who displayed leadership. Military planning was done by the Land Forces Command. All political directives came from Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. This success belongs to the Republic of Turkey.
Let me put this differently. Who would the blame be placed upon if the operation had failed? Upon the government. So, why are we jealous and don’t want to credit the government because the operation was a success.
President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Davutoğlu are very valuable to us. The leadership they display as president and prime minister, and the response they receive from society is an opportunity for Turkey.
Another erroneous take on matters concerns the prime minister’s observing the operation from General Staff headquarters.
We have seen plenty of “soldier prime ministers.” We have seen many who were afraid of the soldiers. Mesut Yılmaz had to resort to pantomime just because he couldn’t mention Çevik Bir’s name. Tansu Çiller donned a military parka and visited military units. There is no problem as long as military-civilian relations are within the framework suitable for democratic regimes.
Under whose jurisdiction is the Chief of General Staff? The jurisdiction of the Prime Ministry. Who bears the title of commander-in-chief? The president does… There is nothing odd about Prime Minister Davutoğlu spending the night of the operation at the General Staff’s operations center.
Moreover, there is no system in place for him to observe the operation from the Prime Ministry. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicles transmit video to the operations center, and the movement and management of military units is directed from there.
For years we would write news articles about where the chief of General Staff was seated and what kind of stare the prime minister received from the commanders. The compatible image that was seen here is good in terms of democracy. Let me share a detail since you are so sensitive about military-civilian ties.
The operations center where Prime Minister Davutoğlu observed the operation was the base of the West Study Group (BÇG according to its Turkish acronym) on Feb. 28, 1997. Davutoğlu’s presence as prime minister at the BÇG’s base, which tried to topple the likes of Erdoğan and Davutoğlu, carries huge significance in terms of democracy. I think this was one of the aspects of the bigger picture that has been overlooked.
