Mob boss Peker's confessions put military contractor close to Erdoğan in spotlight again
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In the latest of his YouTube videos on "state-mafia relations," exiled mob boss Sedat Peker talked about a private military firm's alleged weapon delivery to an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria.
"The aid [to al-Nusra Front] was provided through me. I am sincerely saying that. But I did not send it, SADAT people sent it," said Peker, claiming that some trucks that had been sent to Syria together with his "aid convoys" had contained weapons to be delivered to armed groups.
SADAT (International Defense Consulting Construction Industry and Trade Inc.) is founded and headed by retired Brigadier General Adnan Tanrıverdi, who was a senior advisor to the president at the time the events mentioned by Peker took place.
The company was first brought to attention by Aydınlık newspaper in 2012 and later appeared in the press many times with the reports that "AKP has a paramilitary force" and "SADAT is training opposition groups in Syria," has become a talking point again after Peker's eighth video yesterday (May 30).
Peker said that SADAT helped al Nusra and added: "They are from al-Nusra. Some other friends of ours said, 'These are going to al-Nusra.' The aid was provided through me. I am sincerely saying that. But I did not send it, SADAT people sent it."
The company denied Peker's allegations on Twitter and said if he has proof, he should deliver it to prosecutors.
Here is everything to know about SADAT:
What is SADAT? SADAT Inc. is a military consulting firm based in Turkey. It was founded on February 28, 2012, by retired Brigadier General Adnan Tanrıverdi.
The mission stated by the company is "to establish a Defense Collaboration and Defense Industry Cooperation among Islamic Countries to help Islamic World take the place where it merits among Superpowers by providing Strategic Consultancy, Defense and Security Training and Supply Services to Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces of Islamic Countries."
What does it do? The company states that it provides services such as military and internal training, defense consultancy, and ammunition purchase in the international arena.
Among the courses of the company, titles such as "Unconventional Warfare (counter-guerrilla)" and "Sharpshooting" draw attention. There are training packages such as "Land Operations", "Sharpshooting", "Protection", "Demolition", "Unconventional Warfare", "Forward Single Man Combat", "Artillery and Mortar Forward Surveillance", "Tank / Armored Vehicle Hunting."
Who works for it? According to reports in the media, the company employs between 50 and 200 retired Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) officers from various branches and specialties.
The company's services include consultancy, training, conventional military training, unconventional military training, special forces training, and army equipment, says its website.
SADAT Inc. has a sibling organization called ASSAM (Justice Defenders Strategic Studies Center), which has a more political focus, and was also founded by Tanrıverdi. ASSAM operates a "strategic research center" and hosts annual contracts.
Allegations about SADAT: İYİ (Good) Party Chair Meral Akşener said in early 2018 that she had heard about the establishment of armed training camps in Konya and Tokat, and asked for an investigation.
It was previously claimed that 2,800 people had received "unconventional warfare" or "guerrilla training" in the training camps opened by SADAT in various places, which Akşener pointed out and demanded measures be taken.
SADAT was also on the agenda with the allegations that it had helped the Free Syrian Army during the Afrin operation in 2018 and that it went out on the streets and clashed with the soldiers during the coup attempt in 2016. It was also widely discussed that a statutory decree (KHK) was issued for SADAT, which brings judicial immunity to civilians.
Tanrıverdi had explained why they had founded SADAT as; "TSK provides training, consultancy, and equipment services to 22 Turkish and Muslim countries. But it is not possible for 60 Islamic countries to meet all their needs in the field of defense. They foresee that they will meet this need, and we do this with the support of 64 officers and non-commissioned officers, respecting the religious sensitivities of Islamic countries."
"People's Special Forces"
SADAT's name was also mentioned together with the People's Special Forces (HÖH), an association that was founded by people who took part in the Syrian civil war. In an interview with Kübra Par from Habertürk on January 28, 2018, Tanrıverdi had said, "I don't know HÖH. I don't know if it is in the military structure. But any kind of civil armed organization is dangerous, not necessary, not appropriate."
"We have no de-facto connection with the MİT"
Tanrıverdi attended the meeting held on 23 January under the presidency of President Tayyip Erdoğan, during the TSK operation in Syria's Afrin, alongside the National Intelligence Service (MİT) Undersecretary Hakan Fidan. Tanrıverdi, when asked about the reason for attending this meeting, had replied; "I'm attending to the 'Security Summit' as our President's chief advisor on 'Security Policies'. I attended the summit on Afrin under this title as well. We have no actual connection with the MİT Undersecretariat."
Alleged affiliation with the FSA
Tanriverdi had the following to say about the allegations that they were training the Free Syrian Army; "During the foundation phase of the Free Syrian Army, we heard that there was a person named Colonel Riyad Assad, the first founder of the Free Syrian Army, in the refugee camp in the south of Hatay, and we went there.
"Then, it was a period when the opposition decided not to use weapons in Syria. In other words, they resisted the regime's oppression in an unarmed opposition for about a year. We prepared a report. We sent that report to our state. We said, 'They need to get organized as the opposition'."
"If our armed forces undertook this as a state, this turmoil would end in six months. If SADAT was authorized in this regard, it could finish just in a year.
"However, under the conditions of that day, this issue could not be carried into action. And that job was left behind. SADAT had no de-facto relationship with the Free Syrian Army.
"In Somalia, before our armed forces went there, an official from Somalia had requested SADAT to establish a base there. Then, when our armed forces left, we were no longer needed. We have already said that we should serve places where we do not have armed forces and cannot reach. Our armed forces have now established a base to serve there."
Guard system and SADAT
Researcher-historian Ayhan Işık wrote about SADAT in his article titled "The paramilitarization of the state and society" published on bianet on 20 November 2020 stating; "The Guard system, which was also enacted by getting legislated, points out that a new security concept has been put into effect, in which the nationalist and Islamist sections of the society are included and paramilitary, with Meral Akşener's claims that "SADAT provides armed training to civilians by establishing training camps in various parts of the country."
In addition, the fact that the elites governing the state are fragmented, and that there is control over different armed units, semi-official or informal, shows that the monopoly of violence is not in the hands of a group or government, and each segment is trying to establish its own paramilitary group.
"Mercenaries are institutionalized"
On the one hand, while new paramilitary forms are being created, on the other hand, the mercenary system is being institutionalized under the name of security consultancy by SADAT.
But this mercenary's contact with paramilitarism is linked to its significant ideological motivation. In other words, paramilitarism takes place in an ideological field, while mercenaries take place in a purely economic field.
The groups Turkey sends abroad are in between the two, but closer to paramlitarism. Therefore, the paramilitarization of the state and society after 2015 is the modernization of an old tradition, the legitimization, and publicization of an unofficially adopted policy."
Who is Adnan Tanrıverdi?
He was appointed as the Chief Advisor to the President in August 2016.
He entered the Military Academy in 1964. He served as a staff officer; Adapazarı 2nd Infantry Division Command, Intelligence Branch Directorate and Vice Chief of Staff; Turkish Military Academy Faculty Member; General Staff Special Warfare Department Logistics and Operations Branch Directorates and Vice Chief of Staff.
He was promoted to Major in 1980. He became Lieutenant Colonel in 1984 and Colonel in 1987.
He was appointed as the Commander of the 8th Corps Artillery Regiment in Malazgirt in 1990 and was promoted to Brigadier General in 1992 while he was in this position.
After serving as the Head of the Health Department in the Land Forces between 1995 and 1996, he was forced to retire in August 1996, during the term of İsmail Hakkı Karadayı as the Chief of General Staff.
After his retirement, he served on the Board of Directors of İhlas Marmara Evleri's Mosque Construction and Aid Association, the timeshare company of İhlas Holding, and Türkiye Newspaper boss Enver Ören.
Since November 2004, he has undertaken the role of the General President of the Association of Justice Defenders (ASDER), which was founded by seven soldiers discharged from the army by the decisions of the Supreme Military Council (YAŞ). (RT/DCE/VK)