Cyprus Turkish Peace Force Command
The Cyprus Turkish Peace Force Command is the Turkish garrison in Cyprus. In 1974 Turkish troops invaded Cyprus following a Greek Cypriot coup d'état which wanted to force union with Greece, occupying the northern third of the island. The invasion force consisted of about 40,000 soldiers and 200 tanks. It outnumbers the Greek military contingent on the island, which is supplemented by the Greek Cypriot National Guard consisting of 12,000 active and 75,000 reserves. Air reinforcement of the Turkish troops can be effected, if necessary, within hours.
History
Turkey maintained the Cyprus Turkish Regiment in the northern part of the Republic of Cyprus. On 16 August 1960, the brigade was organized as follows:- Gönyeli Group
- *2nd Infantry Company
- *3rd Infantry Company
- *Heavy Weapons Company
- Ortaköy Group
- *1st Infantry Company
- *4th Infantry Company
- *Regimental HQ Company
Invasion of Cyprus
In July 1974, Turkey landed forces on the northern part of Cyprus after the military coup of July 15, 1974. Turkish forces involved in operations were as follows:- An airborne brigade
- A commando brigade
- A Special Strike Force Landing Brigade
- The 39th [Infantry Division (Turkey)|39th Infantry Division]
- The 28th Infantry Division
Post invasion
It has been on Cyprus since the Turkish invasion of 1974, and initially consisted of the following Turkish Army units:- Cyprus Turkish Peace Force Command
- *28th Infantry Division - headquartered at Asha to the northeast of Nicosia, and the
- *39th Infantry Division - headquartered at Camlibel within the district of Girne.
- *14th Armoured Brigade - also in Asha with M48 Patton & M60 Patton tanks.
- * A Special Force Regiment
- * An Artillery Regiment
- * Naval units
Current (2015–present)
- 28th Mechanized Infantry Division
- * 230th Mechanized Infantry Regiment (Turkey)
- * other regiments and smaller units
- 39th Mechanized Infantry Division
- 14th Armoured Brigade
- 49th Special Force Regiment
- 41st Commando Regiment
- 109th Field Artillery Regiment
- 190th Marines Battalion
- Communications Battalion
- Central Command Military Police Battalion
- Logistics Support Group
- TRNC Coast Guard Command
Strength
The original force of 40,000 troops was reduced with Turkish authorities claiming that the Turkish force in Cyprus had been reduced to 17,500 in the 1990s. However, according to the UN Secretary-General “It is estimated that in recent years there have been in the northern part of the island a little under 30,000 armed forces of the Republic of Turkey making it one of the most militarized areas in the world in terms of numbers of troops and numbers of civilian population. Recently moreover there have been indications that the total numbers of Turkish forces on the island may have increased” .Turkish forces in Cyprus are part of the Turkish Aegean Army which is headquartered at İzmir in Turkey. However, the commander of the Turkish troops reports directly to the Turkish General Staff in the capital, Ankara. The force is responsible for all security and is not directly involved in political matters of northern Cyprus.
Since 16 August 1974, the Turkish Army has retained control of the northern 36.2% of Cyprus.