Turkish occupation of northern Syria

The Turkish Armed Forces and its ally the Syrian National Army had occupied areas of northern Syria from August 2016, during the Syrian civil war until 2026. Though these areas were nominally acknowledge a government affiliated with the Syrian opposition, in practice they constituted a separate proto-state under the dual authority of decentralized native local councils and Turkish military administration.

Turkish-controlled areas of Syria included towns such as Al-Bab, Azaz, Manbij, Jarabulus, Rajo, Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn. The majority of these settlements had been captured from the Islamic State and the Syrian Democratic Forces, both of which have been designated as terrorist organisations by the Turkish government. The Syrian Interim Government moved into the Turkish-controlled territories and began to extend authority, including providing documents to Syrian citizens. These areas are referred to as "safe zones" by Turkish authorities. The occupation has allegedly led to human rights abuses in some areas, including ethnic cleansing.

According to a report by the Institute for the Study of War, as of January 2026, the Syrian transitional government had fully taken control of the territory previously controlled by the Syrian National Army factions. Turkey still maintains military positions within formerly SNA-coded territory.