🇸🇾 Syrian Turkmen: Fighting to Survive | Al Jazeera World

The Turkmen are an ethnic minority in Syria whose ancestors were Turkic peoples who fanned out across Central and East Asia in the 11th century. The Ottomans encouraged them to migrate south, so when the Ottoman Empire was divided after World War I, their descendants found themselves in the very north of Syria, close to the Turkish border.
President Bashar al-Assad's Syria is a secular, socialist republic and in pursuing a policy of "Arab unity", it doesn't recognise many, if any, ethnic minorities. As such, the Turkmen suffered institutional discrimination over religion, employment and education for many years and were forbidden from writing and publishing in their native Turkish dialect.
When they took part in the March 2011 uprising against the Syrian government, they suffered harassment, attacks, arrests and torture.
"The [government's] prisons are two levels below ground," says Adil Orli, commander of Camp 1071, a training facility in the Turkmen Mountain region near the Turkish border.
More from Al Jazeera World on:
KZbin - aje.io/aljazeeraworldYT
Facebook - / aljazeeraworld
Twitter - / aljazeera_world
Visit our website - www.aljazeera.com/aljazeeraworld
Subscribe to AJE on KZbin - aje.io/YTsubscribe

[@imranturkmen4459]

Proud to be Turkmen salam from Afghanistan may Allah help or brothers and sisters in Syria

[@tulparkultigintengrikut8440]

Im also turkmen from turkey

[@tulparkultigintengrikut8440]

Salam. Sizde youtube var mi türkmenistanda?

[@m.1374]

@bm3racer in your dreams,u ain't getting no more kands in syria u can just Bring them back to Turkey

[@ahmetturkmen2979]

Afganistanda turkmen mi var ?

[@mdmahbubulalam2170]

@@ahmetturkmen2979 evet....Afghanistanda,pakistanda az turkmen var.

[@fs.5981]

Love to Turkmen brothers and sisters from Tabriz

[@azrbaycan2076]

Türkmen Azerbaijani*

[@shoaibsiddiq3507]

Turkman are really brave fighters they faught and defeated Assad regime against overwhelming superiority

[@zoranjanicijevic5177]

You can just dream about that. Assad is the winner! Terrorists are destroyed thanks God!

[@rcunbanz2729]

1071 battle of manzikert Selam olsun büyük Türkmenlere.

[@EE-zt2ps]

Mashaallah! Brave Men! I wish i could support my Turkmen Brothers...

[@alloboris9255]

Turkmens are very peaceful people. Never look for fight

[@mikabitar2945]

I am from Latakia and ive met many Turkmen there, they are wonderful people with great culture and beautiful language, im so sorry for the war its our faults, Turkmen has been a blessing for syria and i hope we never lose you.

[@nascentebio]

Masha Bitar you are a kind person and we need people like you in this world! We need to accept other people, tribes, groups, their language and special culture without hate and discrimination. (I am not talking about the war and the sides they took and whether this is good or bad, I am just talking about normal people, trying to live life in a good way)

[@boris75723]

Margarita Peterson so why turkmens fight along nusra in idlib..alqaeda/nusra is against all you wrote...funny

[@mikabitar2945]

@Margarita Peterson i agree with everything you said, we can learn from each others cultures, and i personally had good experience with all kind of different people and cultures that i met, thank you! @Boris Práznovský not all turkmen are fighting, and for those who fight, not all of them fight for nusra, they are a minority that is trying to find away to survive this aggressive war, who can blame them?.

[@oghuzkhan5117]

No problem brother. We always support the Syrian people. When the world close there eye Turkiye took 4 million refugees and turkiye helped free syrian army. We have relation and brotherhood for 1000 years. We hold no grudge, your people dont start war against Turks. Assad started war against Turkmens

[@deniz-qm1tu]

Ottoman Empire You are very confused, or just ignorant.

[@hasanagaoglu3926]

Thank you Al Jazeera lm Turkmen 🌹

[@turkbirligi2564]

Yaşasın Türkmenler, yaşasın Türk dünyası, Allah yardımcınız olsun, Türkiye her zaman yanınızda

[@muslimsaqawy6711]

Turkmenllere Allah komek bersin!

[@user-sw4ik6ij1m]

assalam aleykum from Terekemes-karapapakhs Azerbaijan Dagestan to our Turkmen brothers .We are all OGHUZ TURKS

[@someoneharmless]

Thank you very much Al Jazeera for this meaningful and original documentary..

[@Mountainguns]

May Allah give them strength

[@nellocozza8267]

Really a part of the Syrian war that doesn't come up in the news often. Thank you for bringing it up

[@yaxshibala]

Hepimiz türkmen olarak türkmenistan horasan bölgesinden göcmüsüz🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷

[@mohammadkabirastan8904]

Horasan Türkmenlerinden selam olsun

[@czvgsghhztfgfvbjggv3861]

SYRIEA AL ARABIE 🇸🇾🇸🇾🇸🇾🇸🇾🇸🇾🇸🇾🇱🇾🇱🇾🇱🇾🇱🇾🇪🇬🇪🇬🇵🇸🇸🇩🇱🇧🇹🇳🇪🇭🇯🇴🇮🇶🇩🇿🇩🇿🇲🇦🇲🇦

[@ge8603]

Türkmeneli den selam olsun qardaşlarıma

[@howdoyouturnthison7827]

Thank you al jazeera

[@hsjsjjsjsebe6692]

Yaşa Türkmenli

[@ottomanosman2463]

We are Türk, not Arabs!

[@muslumanturk8016]

Turkmenoğlu Turkmenimm !

[@turkturan6828]

Musluman Turk selam gardas TURAN!

[@kakathegrate7379]

Brave turkman people. MashaAllah

[@berked.6043]

We support them.

[@BiswasRakeeb]

I now find the cause why the Turkish Army engaged in Syria

[@Freedomhawks]

If that’s the case 20million kurds live in turkey

[@ezgisukylie9332]

Turks and kurds should live in peace in turkey

[@ucal9495]

Love to every Turkmen out there ❤️❤️

[@xz4409]

Thanks al jazera.

[@phuckyall6079]

Take back your people to central asia.

[@AzeriDervish]

Why don't you go back to Kenya?

[@linuxapt8173]

I'm Turkmen

[@hamed7600]

M H S me too. where r u from?

[@linuxapt8173]

Ha med from ashgabat

[@hamed7600]

M H S nice to meet you. How's life in Ashkabat?

[@linuxapt8173]

Ha med nice to meet you too, it's not sweet, im in other country now. Left it...

[@linuxapt8173]

Ha med China lol... But I'm planning to move to Europe

[@ahmetalbayrak7767]

very brave peoples the turkmens

[@ahmetturkmen2979]

Irak kerkuk turkmen adına selam olsun herkim yorumum okuyana

[@hamed7600]

I was always curious about Turkmens in Iraq and Syria. Their language is different from Turkmenistan. It sounds like Turkish of Turkey.

[@oghuzkhan5117]

we are all Turk. because of migration people adepted the language and mixxed it with other languages. Turkmenistan people are Turkic. Turkmen inside Syria also Turk . Dont you consider your self as Turk ?

[@hamed7600]

We are Turkmen and Turks and Humans. It depends on your distance from the matter. We share the same language with Turks but culturally, we may be closer to eastern Turkic people like Uyghurs than to western ones like people from Azerbayjan and Turkey. We also look much more like Uyghurs than Turkish.

[@oghuzkhan5117]

Ha med you are just stupid sorry but. There Is no Türkmen or anything. We are all turks. Turks were nomadic people. You are dividing the türkic world. Shame on you. The Russian assimilation politics worked I see. Shame of your self and who ever try to divide the türkic world

[@tulparkultigintengrikut8440]

Ha med. Im a turkmen from turkey. Turkey as a state was founded by invading turkmen, dont forget that. This langauge spoken by syrian turkmens is much closer to azerbaijani turkmen langauge because langauges changes over time and you have to consider the geographic distance. But azerbaijani people, turkish people, syrian & iraqi turkmens, gagauz and turkmenistan turkmen are ALL Oghuz turkmens. I was born into a turkmen tribe, the chepni and Im proud turkmen.

[@hamed7600]

I didn't know there are Turkmen tribes in Turkey as well. Yashathin Turkmens ;) Where are population centers for Turkmens in Turkey? Any of them live nomadic lifestyle?

[@djyoungturk]

Don't worry my Turkish brothers the mehmetçik army has come to save use

[@mtoumiification]

very interesting

[@xz4409]

I watched every second of this Film.

[@Maalil01]

Remove vodka

[@clickbait5714]

x Z congratulations!

[@oguzhan2828]

To be proud of Turk to be Proud of Turkmen. Aleppo is Türkmen, Kerkük is Türkmen , Musul is Türkmen. If you want support we will support you.

[@teknul89]

None of these places are turk all those turkmen came from Turkey

[@Krim-zp8km]

​@@teknul89they are their since The Great Seljuk empire qnd even before that, for more than 1000 years.

[@teknul89]

@@Krim-zp8km No they are not, not even Seljuk Empire is from there before that they came from Turkmenistan and before that they came somewhere close to Mongolia Turkmens and Turks are very mixed people today why do you think their ancestors looks like Chinese people ?

[@muslumanturk8016]

Sultan Selim khan is Anatolian Turk -shah ismail is iranian turk

[@dreamyhoney8913]

may Allah help u

[@hasanhasanov8823]

gardash sizin veteniniz Azerbaycan

[@AbuYunus2]

💙❤️💙🇹🇷

[@clickbait5714]

Summer camp!

[@napoleonmeowparte3874]

the minorty always gets screwed over such is the way of the world

[@panturkistturan4863]

God bless all azeri turks(turkmens)

[@user-sl3kr7bg4g]

زنده باد ترکمن ها ترکها فقط تنها راه نجات افزایش جمعیت

[@asdzxcasdzxc1973]

❤️💙❤️🇹🇷

[@breaks0]

So this 1071 brigade is it Salafist? Or anything similar to that politically/ideologically?

[@howdoyouturnthison7827]

No there aren't if you watch 40.36 man telling that they are fighting against al qaeda groups like nusta and ex iraqi al qaeda.nusra and isis.

[@turkturan6828]

TURAN is usss ideologyy;).

[@turkicpeopleshistoryandsim2945]

BIRAKIN MENIM TURKMENELIMIq

[@xz4409]

When was this filmed?

[@Alone-fx6uh]

Before you were born.

[@LifeOfTheParty323]

Tomorrow.

[@xz4409]

Deep Sarkar stfu banglaloser

[@Jewelkraft.]

Why can't people be treated fairly everyone's blood is red.

[@cantspeakcantspeak79]

Turkey for Turkmens, Kurdistan for Kurds, Arabia for Arabs! I gonna get comment bombed

[@turkicpeopleshistoryandsim2945]

soydaslar..

[@themorningstar3353]

What's the matter with that intro m? It sounds and m looks terrible. Pixellated and terrible sound, like it has been resampled over and over.

[@turkmen8558]

Bir Yavuz yok ki damını dizine indirsin bu düzenin Türkmenlere şan katsın

[@alexshapiro9841]

I can't put my finger on it, but there is something fishy about this whole report.

[@MG-qo7kl]

Iki agac icin o kadar olay yapan serefsizlere nalet olsun hani sizin insan sevginiz

[@cerenozgun]

alt yazı baya eksik ve kötü çevrilmiş.... english translation from turkish is poor

[@VremennyiGuest]

Turmens have autonomy

[@alloboris9255]

Hey Al Jazeera. can you speak Turkmen ?

[@bertinlozano2918]

What happen with the Syrian Turmen????. There must be justice with them.

[@user-rh5nd9zk9w]

Why you don't go back to Mongolia

[@enestopal8838]

Why you white russians get out of central asia

[@hanikaram3351]

Lebanon Syria Assyria Iraq the Christian near east of the fertile crescent from mamelukes to Ottoman they came and pushed the original inhabitants out of their lands . do you ever wonder how come the Muslim world is in turmoil and full of violence ? I hope God gives them better judgement and better heart and may he have mercy on all creatures big and small

[@alloboris9255]

It is not Turkmen language

[@alloboris9255]

Most likely this guys from Tajikistan ( they speak Farcy ) Persian

[@alloboris9255]

If airplane shot from Turkey territory it does not by Turkmens

[@naju332]

they have a country called Turkmenistan they can go too or any other of turk countries. they have 0 right to anything in syria

[@Ain.tabMusti27]

We are the successors of the brave Atabeg‘s who fought against the crusaders! We are the descandents of Imād ad-Dīn Zankī Rahimahullah, Ḍiyāʾ ad-Dīn ʿAḍud ad-Daula Abū Šuǧāʿ Muḥammad Alp-Arslan Rahimahullah and Selīm-şāh bin Bāyezīd Rahimahullah! We are the defenders of Quran and sunnah and we will rather die and be forgotten by humanity then leave our homes we settled 1000years ago! Even if you kill all of us Sub’hanAllah there is no problem because we believe in Allāh Azawajal and we have no problems with becoming shuhāda.

[@basedtvrk9125]

This is like saying Mexicans should go back to Spain and that Brazilians should go back to Portugal, and that Kurds should go back to Iran.

[@famil1289]

Shah İsmail was also a turkmen Qizilbash

[@anilanilkumarkaiwart218]

Jai hind

[@lp2059]

They, Turkish and Azeris aren't really turkic.....

[@batuhan2576]

The soldiers in the video are fighting on the mountain and are not taking care of their own self-care. Central Asian Turks and we are a group of cousins. Azerbaijan and Turkey are brothers.

[@alloboris9255]

Compare Turkmen faces on wikipedia

[@paki5381]

These people are living hundreds of years in syria so they mix up with arab, can be said turko-arab a hybrid clan, aslike turko-mongol, turko-iranian and extra.

[@alycestapleton]

1887 year and the end of ottoman empire

[@emrekucuk4005]

1923

[@Freedomhawks]

Change the word from Assad to erdogan and change turkeman to Kurds then you will know why Kurds fight Turkish army

[@mercedesaudibmw1357]

Long live Assad, love from INDIA

[@saudiumayyadempire9247]

The indigenous people of Syria are the Saudis

[@middleeastrenwarriormen1017]

Shami !

[@keithwelch2137]

I'm going to watch this but these guys joined up with Islamic State. I had been under that impression of course I could be wrong.

[@lokumftw2621]

There is/was at least 1,5 and 2,5 million Turkmens in Syria. People in the video told it- some Turkmens joined ISIS and Al Qaeda for either money or blind faith (the same like many arabs and kurds in the region). Right now there is even a Turkmen brigade in the Kurdish led SDF. The big majority of Turkmens fight for themselves though- either in the mountains in Latakia and Idlib around the Turkish border or in the Turkish Euphrates Shield area between Azaz, Jerablus and Al Bab. Around half a million are refugees in Turkey though but most of them are still in Syria.

[@alloboris9255]

Stop. Do not say they Turkmen

[@alloboris9255]

Turkmenistan ( former Russia ) and turkey is different. This guys does not speak even close to Turkmen people.

[@teardrop-in-a-fishbowl]

@Carpet Cleaning Turkmenistan has nothing to do with it. These Turkmen are from different Turk clans ("Turkey"/Osman Empire), Azerbaiyán and peoples from the Crimea (fled after the Crimea war).

[@leonsisuin4987]

stupid language of them is Turkish and %85 90 close to Turkmenistan Turk language go learn Turkic lanuages and similarities....Turkmenistan is Oghuz too like Turkey and Azerbaijan

[@alloboris9255]

Their face look is not Turkmen

[@arabam9365]

Syria is an Arab country! You can't change this fact! If you don't like it or seeking anything to pleasure Turkey not the Arab world you must leave! Mongolia is your home!

[@muho5816]

ArabAM 93 u are right there are many Turkish countries why don't they Go there isn't it better safer ..in a Turkish country? I know why they stay there they are imperialist s who think one day we will take over like ottoman.

[@sosaq3841]

+Max Arabs have lived in modern Syria for Millenias. Banu Bakr (Diyar Bakr) Banu Shayban Ghassanids and Tukhirs. The Palmyrene Empire was Arab and Aramean! The Arabs lived in Mesopotamia longer than you Turks did in Anatolia.

[@deniz-qm1tu]

Yeah, that's true anymore. Those beautiful Turkmen cities are yours anymore, as like a thousand years ago. You can bombing them freely!

[@ottomanosman2463]

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA thats why u cowards run in war

[@saudiumayyadempire9247]

Syria belongs to Arabians of Nejd and Hejaz

[@samir9656]

انت عن جد سعودي؟

[@alloboris9255]

some kind of Iranian

[@vixoaduo7288]

propaganda as usual .

[@alloboris9255]

I Think it is arabic

[@altralazer]

I start to understand why Al Jazeera is called a religious propaganda machine..

[@lobsangnamgyal9382]

The one and only pro terrorism channel in the world.

[@nahutab2111]

they are talking about more then just turkish peeps lol

[@deniz-qm1tu]

Don't believe them. Turkmens are not part of this!

[@alloboris9255]

Their language not Turkmen

[@alloboris9255]

Real Turkmen people look very different from this guys

[@tmtm2267]

You are wrong they are same

[@alloboris9255]

Their are not Turkmen definitely

[@disturbed-yt1vr]

bla bla us propaganda....

[@mczenk5095]

disturbed 1979 More like Qatari propaganda you moron.

[@virender808]

Strange these so called opposition forces have all kind of fancy and modern weapons but complaining for breakfast.

[@turkicpeopleshistoryandsim2945]

disturbed 1979 Kerkuk=Turkmen eli!

[@alloboris9255]

They are not Turkmen

[@qaranmediainc5513]

Turkmen ist turk