Downing of Russian Fighter Plane Thrusts Turkmen Into Spotlight: What We Know About Them
There are 12 million to 18 million Turkmens across the globe.
— -- The downing of a Russian fighter plane Tuesday near the border between Syria and Turkey has thrust the Turkmen into the international spotlight.
One of the Russian pilots plummeted on to land claimed by Syria’s Turkmen. The plane was hit by Turkish F16s while it was conducting airstrikes on militants in northwest Syria.
The Turkmen there claim to have captured the dead Russian pilot and posted video and photos to social media of their soldiers surrounding his limp body.
So, who are the Turkmen?
THEY’RE NOT TURKISH
The Turkmen, not to be confused with the Turkish, are located across Central Asia in Turkmenistan, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan and northern Pakistan.
There are approximately 12 million to 18 million Turkmens across the globe.
Turkmen in Iraq, Syria, and other Arab countries (Western Turkmen) are more closely related to the people of Turkey, but maintain their own language and ethnic identity.
In Syria, they are a minority population living alongside Arabs and Kurds.
THEY DON’T LIKE ASSAD
The Turkmen in northern Syria, who claim to have captured the dead Russian pilot, are part of a rebel group called Alwiya al-Ashar that are fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The rebel group is one of nearly a dozen that have formed to fight back against Arab nationalism promoted by the Assad regime, particularly, assimilation policies aimed at eliminating the Turkmen’s language and culture in Syria.
Assad’s assimilation policies seek to destroy the Turkmen’s language and culture in Syria.
Turkey, which has aligned with the U.S. to fight ISIS and does not support Assad, directly supports some Turkmen militias.
TENSIONS HAVE BEEN BUILDING IN TURKMEN AREAS
On Friday, Turkey ordered Russia to stop bombardments over Turkmen villages in the area where the plane is reported to have crashed.
The area along the Turkish border with Syria is north of Latakia, where Russia has established an air base for Russian fighter aircraft to provide air support for Syrian ground offensives.
Turkey summoned Russia’s ambassador on Friday to formally complain about Russian airstrikes. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was expected in Turkey tonight, but after the downing of the Russian plane, that meeting has been cancelled.
THEY ARE REFUGEES
On Sunday, a Turkish official said that 1,500 Turkmen in Syria have fled to the Turkish border to escape fighting.
Turkey has welcomed the Turkmen and is reportedly sending tents, blankets, food, and medical supplies to the border region.
Tens of thousands of Turkmen from Syria’s northwest have already been displaced due to Russian airstrikes, according to a Turkish news agency.