Ankara – The Turkish Directorate of Communications has issued a formal rebuttal regarding media claims suggesting that Turkish intelligence had solicited assistance from Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) to bolster security for Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
In a statement released on Friday, the Directorate’s Centre for Countering Disinformation categorized the reports as „not true,“ underscoring the autonomy of regional security arrangements.
The controversy stems from a report by the British news agency Reuters, which, citing five anonymous sources familiar with the matter, alleged that the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) of Türkiye had approached MI6 last month. According to the report, the Turkish side purportedly asked the British intelligence community to assume a role in protecting the Syrian leader following a series of reported assassination plots.
Effective Regional Cooperation vs. Foreign Intervention
In its official clarification, the Turkish government emphasized that MIT maintains a highly effective and direct line of cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism. This collaboration extends not only to the broader international intelligence community but specifically to the security institutions of neighboring Syria.
“The successful operations recently carried out jointly with Syrian authorities against the Daesh terrorist organization are among the latest examples of this cooperation,” the Centre for Countering Disinformation stated. By highlighting these joint efforts against Daesh (ISIS), Ankara shifted the focus away from the need for Western protection, pointing instead to a functioning bilateral security architecture between Turkey and Syria. The statement explicitly underlined: “It is not true that MIT requested MI6 to provide protection for the Syrian president or asked it to assume such a role.”
Rising Security Concerns and the Geopolitical Shift
The backdrop of these allegations involves a complex geopolitical landscape. Following years of conflict, Syria—a nation of approximately 26 million people—is currently in a fragile phase of rebuilding and reunification. Last year, a significant shift in international policy occurred when Turkey, Britain, and the United States threw their collective backing behind President al-Sharaa.
As part of this effort to stabilize the region, both London and Washington scrapped the majority of sanctions previously imposed on Syria and on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group that al-Sharaa once led. Despite this diplomatic thaw, the security environment remains volatile.
The sources cited in the original Reuters report pointed to „rising anxiety“ over a series of alleged Islamic State (IS) plots aimed at assassinating the Syrian president, which supposedly prompted the search for enhanced security measures.
Strategic Silence and Official Denials
Prior to the publication of the allegations, a notable silence persisted among the primary stakeholders. When contacted for comment, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the British Foreign Office, and the Syrian defense and interior ministries all declined to provide a statement.
This lack of initial commentary added a layer of ambiguity that the Turkish Directorate of Communications has now sought to resolve with its definitive denial.
By refuting the involvement of MI6, Ankara reinforces its position that regional stability and the protection of high-level officials should remain a matter of direct cooperation between neighboring sovereign states rather than relying on the intervention of extra-regional intelligence powers. This stance aligns with Türkiye’s broader strategy of fostering localized security solutions in the post-conflict Syrian landscape.
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