What is Turkey's game plan in Syria? After amassing a major array of fighters and military equipment into combat formation on the 80-kilometer (50-mile) line between Turkey’s border towns of Akcakale and Ceylanpinar, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched the incursion Oct. 9 into Syria's Kurdish northern region.
Erdogan's force includes two Turkish armored brigades, two mechanized infantry brigades, one commando brigade, two gendarmerie special operations battalions, assorted special forces teams of some 6,000 soldiers, and more than 5,000 Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) fighters. Another 1,400 fighters from the SNA were first transferred to Akcakale and are now participating in the operation.