Turkish security institutions faced a series of security challenges following the July 15 coup attempt in 2016. One of these challenges was terrorist organizations testing the combat readiness of the Turkish security forces. The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) are the main security institution fighting terrorism within and beyond Turkey; their combat readiness was questioned due to the imminent discharge of 44% of the generals and admirals as a result of their involvement in the coup attempt.

This paper aims to illustrate the combat readiness of the Turkish security forces in regard to their counterterrorism strategies against the PKK and DAESH in the past year, one year after the coup attempt of July 2016.