Türkiye's move of the 51st Commando Brigade to Söke in the Aegean became a hot topic in the Greek press

MİLLİYET.COM.TR / Türkiye's critical move in the Aegean was at the top of the agenda in Greece. The relocation of the 51st Commando Brigade, stationed in Tunceli's Hozat district, to Aydın's Söke district, made headlines with consecutive news published in the Greek press.

The commandos' move to Söke Garrison revealed that they were closely followed in Athens, especially due to their new deployment point just across from Samos Island.

Within the scope of the Presidential Appointment Decree published in August, Brigadier General Yaşar Karaoğlu was appointed as the 51st Commando Brigade Commander. With the brigade's move from the Tunceli-Hozat line to Söke Garrison, approximately 2,040 expert commandos began to serve in Söke.

'ONE OF THE ROUTINES'

According to analysts, the commando brigades in question consist of units experienced in the fight against terrorism and special operations and their deployment to Söke is one of the routine practices of the Turkish Armed Forces. Such deployment decisions are made in line with training and operational planning. However, the relocation of the 51st Commando Brigade to Söke, one of Türkiye's strategic centers on the Aegean coast, was discussed from a different perspective in the Greek press.

Because this deployment to Aydın Söke, right across from Samos Island, the Greek territory closest to Türkiye, was interpreted as "alarm bells" in Athens.

'BASIC FORCE CORE'

Onalert from the Greek press made remarkable evaluations while giving extensive coverage to Türkiye's Söke move. Expressing that "The Turkish move in Söke did not go unnoticed," Onalert wrote that the step in question meant that Türkiye strengthened the Aegean Army.

The news stated that the Aegean Army has a troop network extending from the northwest of Anatolia to the southwest of Türkiye, and that open sources indicate a basic force core.

In Onalert's news, attention was drawn to the 11th Commando Brigade deployed in Denizli and Söke, the 19th Brigade in the Edremit axis, the 57th Artillery Brigade in the Izmir region and additional support, command, communication and logistics units. It was stated that the deployment of commando forces was "further strengthened" with the transfer of the 51st Commando Brigade to Söke.

'ORDER SHORTLY'

The main point drawn in the news was the "quantity and quality" of the forces that the Turkish side could put at its disposal in the Central Aegean in a shorter time. Onalert stated that the relocation of the 51st Brigade from the Tunceli mountains to the Aegean coast, to Söke across Samos, did not go unnoticed by the Greek side, and added: "At a time when tensions are increasing, the symbolic importance of this move is also quite great."

'SIRENS IN THE AEGEAN: Türkiye HAS BEEN DEPLOYED VERY CLOSE TO US'

Athens-based Thetoc announced the development with a much more striking title: “Sirens in the Aegean.” The news said, "Türkiye deployed its elite commandos very close to us."

Thetoc stated that the 51st Commando Brigade is considered one of the elite units of the Turkish Armed Forces, and wrote that the relocation of the brigade to Söke strengthened Türkiye's military presence on the west coast.

The news also noted that there are important military units in the region, such as the 1st Marine Infantry Brigade in Foça, Izmir.

'2 THOUSAND COMMANDO TURKISH FORCE'

Protothema carried the development directly with the figure in its headline: "Turkish force of 2 thousand commandos." The news stated that the 51st Commando Brigade has a special mission in the Turkish army and consists of more than 2 thousand personnel, and that the deployment of the brigade in Söke strengthens Türkiye's military presence on the western coastline.

Protothema linked this change of location with Athens' recent moves in the Aegean, especially Mitsotakis' visits to the Greek islands and the defense cooperation between Greece and Israel.

The news also claimed that the deployment in Söke was part of Türkiye's broader military deployment in the Aegean.

'Will the balances change?'

Ta Nea, one of Greece's well-established newspapers, also carried Türkiye's move in its headline. “Turkish commandos are deploying across Samos: How will the balances change?” In the news titled, it was stated that Türkiye moved the elite 51st Commando Brigade from the Hozat region of Tunceli to the Söke coastal region of the Aydın province, opposite Samos.

Ta Nea claimed that the move in question was "not a simple internal administrative restructuring, but a move that will have deep strategic consequences."

'QUITE CONCERNING'

The news particularly pointed out that the brigade's new base was located directly opposite Samos, and stated that this was a "quite worrying" situation for Athens.

'TURKISH WALL IN THE AEGEAN'

Ta Nea's news also included the evaluations of defense analysts. Analysts suggested that the deployment of commandos to Söke created a united and “extremely dangerous front”.

The news stated that the new unit did not operate in isolation, but was part of a broader operational plan, and claimed that the force concentration created a solid attack line extending from Çanakkale and Gökçeada to İzmir and Söke, and evaluated that "a Turkish wall is officially being formed in the Aegean".

While it was claimed in the news that Türkiye's fast air transport and amphibious operation capacity had increased significantly, it was argued that the current military balances in the central and southern Aegean could change.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Mitsotakis paid a 3-day visit to Meis Island at a time when tensions between Türkiye and Greece were escalating.

In the images taken during Mitsotakis' visit, the official delegation was seen together with Greek military personnel and armed elements, which caused a great reaction.