SADAT Inc. International Defense Consultancy (Turkish: Uluslararası Savunma Danışmanlık Şirketi) is a private Turkish PMC headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the country's first domestic military consultancy firm, founded in 2012 by former Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) brigadier general, Adnan Tanrıverdi.[2] The company operates within the Middle East and provides services such as military and interior training, defense consultancy, and ordnance procurement. SADAT's mission and purpose remains shrouded in controversy, facing allegations from anti-Justice and Development Party (AKP) sources. These allegations range from supporting establishing a private army loyal to President Tayyip Recep Erdogan. It has close communication and cooperation with the Turkish National Intelligence Organization.[3] The CEO is Melih Tanrıverdi, son of the founder (Adnan Tanrıverdi).[4]
| Company type | Private military company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Private military training services contractor |
| Founded | 2012 Istanbul, Turkey |
| Founders | Adnan Tanrıverdi |
| Headquarters | Marmara Mah. Hurriyet Bulvari No:110/H Beylikdüzü, İstanbul Turkey[1] 40°58′29″N 28°40′03″E / 40.974834°N 28.667477°E |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Melih Tanrıverdi |
| Products | Law enforcement training |
| Services | International defense and interior security consulting |
| Website | www.sadat.com.tr |
Sadat's CEO admits working with Turkish intelligence agency on March 21 2021,[5][unreliable source?] and in 2023 he also publicly voiced against the NATO membership of Sweden.[4] The company has been dubbed the Wagner group of Turkey.[6]
Company profile
editAdnan Tanriverdi, along with 22 other Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs), created SADAT Inc. on February 28, 2012. The organization maintained a board of directors including Adnan and four other members. His son, Melih Tanriverdi, is the current chairman of the board. The company employees between 50 and 200 former TSK officers from various branches and specializations. Its list of services include:
- Consultancy
- Training
- Conventional Military Training
- Unconventional Military Training
- Special Forces Training
- Ordnance
The company's stated mission is "establishing the connection among the Islamic countries in the sense of defense and military industries, in order to assist the Islamic world to take the rank it deserves among super world powers as a self-sufficient military power, by submitting them the services regarding the organization of armed forces, defense consultancy, military training, and ordnance."[7]
SADAT Inc. has a sister organization, ASSAM, with a more political focus that was also headed by Adnan Tanriverdi until January 2020.[8] It runs a strategic studies center and hosts annual conventions.[9]
Activities
editConnection to President Erdoğan and AKP
editFollowing the attempted coup of July 15, 2016, President Erdoğan appointed Adnan Tanrıverdi to his cabinet as chief military counselor.[10][11] The close relationship between Tanrıverdi and Erdoğan, who were relieved from political and military offices in the late 1990s for their Islamic convictions, has sparked allegations of corrupt behavior.[12] These accusations including the belief that SADAT represents and exists as Erdoğan's "private militia".
Involvement against the 2016 coup d'état attempt
editAccording to American Enterprise Institute's (AEI) Michael Rubin, SADAT personnel were active and participated in anti-coup efforts on the night of July 15, 2016. Rubin and others reference social media posts and videos captured by Turkish citizens, which supposedly show SADAT personnel attacking putschists on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey.[13][14]
Training Islamist Jihadists
editSources state that SADAT is actively training Islamist elements who adhere to an Islamic ideology in Syria and other locations in the Middle East.[15] These locations include Somalia and Qatar, where Turkey has established military training centers and formed cooperative partnerships with the host countries' governments.[16] Additionally, a QatariLeaks video identifies the Sudanese port city of Suakin as another potential site of SADAT involvement.[17]
Involvement in Syrian Civil War
editIn 2012 Aydınlık newspaper reported that SADAT established several bases in the Istanbul and Marmara region and trained Syrian fighters. SADAT transported Syrians in these facilities for training and then Turkey used them in Syria.[18]
In 2015, the SADAT founder called in an interview for the establishment of autonomous Turkmen and Sunni Arab areas along the Turkish-Syrian borders.[18]
In 2021, the Turkish mafia boss Sedat Peker accused SADAT of being involved in the arms shipment to the jihadist terrorist organization Al-Nusra Front in Syria.[19][20]
Connections with Hamas
editIn 2018, the Israel Security Agency accused SADAT of transferring funds and material to Hamas.[18][21]
Involvement in Libyan Civil War
editIn May 2013, was the first time Libya is mentioned in SADAT's website when it held a visit “to determine the needs of New Libyan Armed Forces and search for possibilities for Consultancy, Training, Ordnance service delivery for Libya.”.[22][23]
In 2019, Sadat has sold weapons to militias loyal to Tripoli by shipping, between July and September, about 10,000 tons of weapons and ammunition (armored vehicles, missile launchers and drones). Still denounced recently by opposition parties in Turkey, a complaint was filed against Sadat International Defense Consultancy for illegal arms trade. The Turkish president denies any connection with Sadat claiming that he had “nothing to do” with the company’s leadership, despite the appointment of Sadat founder Adnan Tanrıverdi as his advisor following a 2016 coup attempt. A competitor of Sadat in Libya, the Russian private military company Wagner, gained international notoriety in 2014 during the war in Donbas.[24][25]
In 2020, the United States Department of Defense accused SADAT of training Syrians who were sent to support pro-Turkish forces in Libya.[26]
According to a report by the United States Africa Command, the Syrian mercenaries are paid and supervised by SADAT trainers who also trained other militias in Libya.[18]
In March 2021, the United Nations released a report which mention that SADAT violated the UN resolutions in Libya.[27]
Involvement in 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
editSADAT has allegedly been responsible for recruiting, equipping, and transporting Syrian mercenaries to Azerbaijan, in order to fight at the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.[18][28][29][26]
Involvement in Sahel
editAccording to 2024 reports, it has sent Syrian mercenaries to Niger. SADAT denied the accusations.[30][31]
References
edit- ^ "SADAT Home". Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ Cubukcu, Saut. "The Rise of Paramilitary Groups in Turkey". ResearchGate.
- ^ "Turkish paramilitary firm Sadat's CEO admits working with Turkish intelligence agency MIT". Nordic Monitor. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Controversial SADAT CEO speaks against Turkey's approval of Sweden's NATO bid". turkishminute. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "Turkish paramilitary firm Sadat's CEO admits working with Turkish intelligence agency MIT - Nordic Monitor". nordicmonitor.com. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
- ^ "Story: Der Mafiaboss, Präsident Erdogan und ich" (in German). Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ Karmon, Ely; Barak, Michael. "Erdogan's Turkey and the Palestinian Issue". Terrorism Analysts.
- ^ Yayla, Ahmet S. (2020-01-23). "Is Erdogan Preparing "Erdoganistan"?". The Investigative Journal. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
- ^ "Three-Year Activity Plan - ASSAM". assam.org.tr. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
- ^ Rubin, Michael (30 May 2017). "Has SADAT become Erdogan's Revolutionary Guards?". American Enterprise Institute.
- ^ "Turkey's Erdoğan selects controversial security contractor as his new advisor". Ahval News.
- ^ Spyer, Dr. Jonathan (23 April 2018). "Erdogan's Shadow Army: The Influence of "Sadat," Turkey's Private Defense Group". The Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security.
- ^ Jacinto, Leela (13 July 2017). "Turkey's Post-Coup Purge and Erdogan's Private Army". Foreign Policy.
- ^ "July 15 Erdogan's Coup" (PDF). Stockholm Center for Freedom.
- ^ Spyer, Dr. Jonathan (23 April 2018). "Erdogan's Shadow Army: The Influence of "Sadat," Turkey's Private Defense Group". Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security.
- ^ Rubin, Michael. "US missteps in Somalia benefit our enemies". American Enterprise Institute.
- ^ "Sadat Inc.: The Turkish revolutionary guard in Qatar". YouTube. QatariLeaks.
- ^ a b c d e Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak; Dr. Jonathan Spyer (25 January 2021). "Turkish Militias and Proxies". trendsresearch. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Sedat Peker'in iddialarına SADAT'ın yanıtı ne oldu, Bayırbucak Türkmenleri ne diyor?". BBC (in Turkish). 30 May 2021.
- ^ "Mob boss: Turkey diverted aid for Turkmen to 'Nusra' linked extremists". jpost. 30 May 2021.
- ^ "Shin Bet accuses Turkey of allowing Hamas to raise, launder money". Times Of Israel. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
- ^ Dicle Eşiyok (4 January 2020). "Turkish military contractor SADAT has always been in Libya". ahvalnews.
- ^ "SADAT Defense in Libya". sadat. 21 May 2013.
- ^ M@Rt1n@Sl@n (2022-08-23). "Private military company: Personal interests for the benefit of states". Ost Konflikt. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "US: Turkey-sent Syrian fighters generate backlash in Libya". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ a b "Turkey's Islamic defence consultancy takes on West". france24. 22 October 2021.
- ^ Final report of the Panel of Experts on Libya established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1973 (2011). United Nation, 8 March 2021.
- ^ "How does Turkey transfer mercenaries to Azerbaijan?". Atalayar. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ Cohen Yanarocak, Hay Eytan; Spyer, Jonathan (27 January 2021). "Turkish Militias and Proxies". JISS. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ Leaving Syria's civil war to be a mercenary in Africa
- ^ Turkish Wagner: Sadat mercenaries are part of Ankara’s great game in West Africa