The Only NATO Ally in Ground Combat With DAESH? What the Euphrates Shield Record Says

Why It Matters

Türkiye's government says it is the only NATO member state whose own forces fought DAESH (also called ISIS or Islamic State) in direct ground combat. The claim is well supported if 'ground combat' means a sustained, national-army offensive with its own command, as in Operation Euphrates Shield (2016–2017). It is contested if the phrase is read to include any allied troops on the ground, and the headline figures attached to it are Turkish official numbers rather than independently audited data.

This explainer separates three things: what is documented, what is an official Turkish figure, and what is a matter of legal or political interpretation.

Background

From DAESH attacks to a ground operation

DAESH seized large areas of Syria and Iraq in 2014, including territory along Türkiye's roughly 1,300 km (about 810 miles) southern border. Türkiye then suffered a series of attacks widely attributed to DAESH, among them the Suruç bombing (July 2015), the Ankara railway-station bombings (October 2015, more than 100 killed), the Istanbul Atatürk Airport attack (June 2016) and the Reina nightclub shooting (1 January 2017). Türkiye joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and, in 2015, opened İncirlik Air Base to coalition air operations.

On 24 August 2016, Turkish armed forces (TSK) and Syrian opposition fighters crossed the border and took the DAESH-held town of Jarablus. This was the start of Operation Euphrates Shield.

Timeline of the operation

Euphrates Shield had two stated aims: to remove DAESH from the border strip and to prevent the territorial linking of PYD/YPG-held areas. Both aims are part of the record, and critics often emphasise the second.

The numbers: what is official and what is not

• 'Over 4,000 DAESH militants neutralised': This is the figure Turkish authorities, including the Presidency and the Ministry of National Defence (MSB), cite for operations in northern Syria. 'Neutralised' is a Turkish military term that can cover killed, captured or otherwise removed from the fight, and the breakdown has not been independently published.
• '100,000 DAESH-linked individuals denied entry': This is an official Turkish figure for people prevented from entering Türkiye through border security and entry-ban measures. No international body has audited it.
• Independent estimates: Monitors such as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and various conflict researchers have documented the battles for Jarablus and al-Bab, but we are not aware of an independent count that matches or contradicts the 4,000 figure. Readers should treat it as an attributed claim, not a verified tally.

The Unspoken File's Editorial Principles require this separation: official numbers are reported as official numbers.

Key Players & Positions

Türkiye

Ankara says Euphrates Shield was a lawful act of self-defence against DAESH and the PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG network, carried out in coordination with the UN Charter framework (see the legal section below).

The United States and other coalition members

Washington led Operation Inherent Resolve against DAESH. It relied heavily on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whose core is the YPG, as its principal ground partner in Syria, while supplying air power, special forces and advisers. The US lists the PKK as a Foreign Terrorist Organization but has historically treated the YPG/SDF as a separate entity, a distinction Ankara rejects. Other allies, including the UK and France, contributed air strikes, special forces, training and, in some cases, artillery support in Iraq and Syria. These contributions are documented in coalition statements. They are the basis on which some analysts dispute the word 'only'.

The SDF and the YPG

The SDF says it is a multi-ethnic force that carried the bulk of ground fighting against DAESH in north-eastern Syria, and that it is not an arm of the PKK. Turkish officials answer that PYD/YPG shares leadership, ideology and cadres with the PKK/KCK.

Syria

Damascus under the previous government objected to Turkish forces on Syrian territory as a breach of sovereignty. After the fall of the Assad government in December 2024, Syria's new authorities and the SDF signed an integration framework in March 2025. Its implementation remains the main variable in northern Syria.

The UN framework

Security Council Resolution 2249 (2015) called on states to take 'all necessary measures' against DAESH in Syria and Iraq. Article 51 of the UN Charter preserves the inherent right of self-defence, and states exercising it must report to the Security Council. Critics argue that Article 51 is stretched when invoked against non-state actors in a third state's territory; supporters point to the 'unwilling or unable' reasoning many states have used. For the full legal analysis see The Legal File on Terrorism at the Source: Article 51, Sovereignty and Türkiye's Cross-Border Operations and the sister analysis at Crossroads Review.

Source Comparison

The fair reading is that the Turkish claim is accurate on its narrowest terms and incomplete if used to suggest that no other ally fought DAESH on the ground. A reader can check the dates and the capture of al-Bab through multiple outlets, whereas the casualty and entry-ban figures must be read as official claims.

Key Terms & Related Guides

• DAESH: The Arabic acronym used by Türkiye and many governments for the group also called ISIS, ISIL or Islamic State.
• PKK/KCK: The Kurdistan Workers' Party and its umbrella organisation. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the US, NATO and the EU.
• PYD/YPG: The Syrian affiliate and armed wing that Türkiye regards as the PKK's Syrian branch; the SDF is the coalition-backed force built around it.
• Article 51: The UN Charter provision on the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence, subject to reporting to the Security Council.
• Neutralised: Turkish military term covering killed, captured or surrendered.

Related reading: Article 51 and cross-border operations, Editorial Principles, the Reader FAQ, About The Unspoken File, and for NATO context Bloc Politics. Return to the home page.

The Unspoken File publishes this analysis from a perspective that presents and defends Türkiye's official positions and legal theses, and we state this openly to our readers. Claims are attributed to primary sources such as treaty texts, UN documents, archival records and official statements, so that readers can verify them independently.