The Cyprus Turkish Peace Force Command (Turkish: Kıbrıs Türk Barış Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı) is the Turkish garrison in Cyprus. In 1974 Turkish troops invaded Cyprus following a Greek Cypriot coup d'état (organized and supported by the Greek government, which was still in the hands of a military junta) 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 (Kıbrıs Türk Alayı) in the northern part of the Republic of Cyprus. On 16 August 1960, the brigade was organized as follows:[citation needed]
Gönyeli Group (Gönyeli Grubu)
2nd Infantry Company (2 nci Piyade Bölüğü)
3rd Infantry Company (3 ncü Piyade Bölüğü)
Heavy Weapons Company (Ağır Silah Bölüğü)
Ortaköy Group (Ortaköy Grubu)
1st Infantry Company (1 nci Piyade Bölüğü)
4th Infantry Company (4 ncü Piyade Bölüğü)
Regimental HQ Company (Alay Karargâh Servis Bölüğü)
The corps reserve was at Kythrea (Değirmenlik) to the northeast of Nicosia.
There were Turkish armoured units operating on the island since shortly after the 1974 invasion, but the 14th Armoured Brigade was not established there until 1997. In 2004, the Library of Congress Country Studies recorded the brigade as being located at Asha (Paşaköy) with M48 Patton & M60 Patton tanks.
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 (Turkish Forces) 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”S994/680 7.6.1994.par.28[permanent dead link].
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.
Northern Cyprus
TAF
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