EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis). The recent visits of American military officers to the AF Base “A. Papandreou” of Paphos, where the French Army also has certain rights, the continuous military drills of Israel with the Cyprus National Guard, the proposed presence of German troops, and other similar developments have alarmed the Turkish leadership.
Initial reports say that they have decided to double the occupying forces from 45-50,000 to about 100,000!
Helleniscope has been repeating for many years that the conditions of the 1974 Turkish invasion have been reversed and now it will be the Americans, Israel, and NATO forces that will kick Turkey out of the occupied Northern Cyprus. Amen!
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Turkish media: The Turkish army in the occupied areas is being doubled — expected to reach 100,000 soldiers
According to Turkish media, the number of Turkish forces in the occupied areas is expected to reach 100,000 soldiers. The reports highlight that, for the first time, the commander of these forces has been promoted to Lieutenant General, which is seen as a sign of further military reinforcement.
The newspaper states that, according to TRHaber, the Turkish army in Cyprus will double its combat strength, with the number of soldiers on the island soon exceeding 100,000. Previously limited to artillery brigades, air defense units, and battalion-sized formations, the forces are now being transformed into a deterrent force. This new structure will include multiple divisions, along with land, air, naval, logistical, electronic, and other support forces.
NATO can’t and won’t kick out a critical part of itself from Cyprus: Turkey. Israel will saber rattle as it loves to, but I am convinced it will not fire off a single round in Turkey’s direction and risk triggering an article 5 crisis within NATO (yes, Turkish presence in Cyprus is not internationally recognized but it won’t take much for the Turks to claim Article 5 protection would apply in such a case: I’m sure they’re wargaming it). Israel may play some long game of destabilizing Turkey if it sees fit, but that’s about the best one can hope for.