Who Are The Turkmen Fighters In Syria?

A Russian fighter jet has been shot down by Turkey in the Turkmen region of Syria.

Who exactly are the Syrian Turkmen fighters?

:: They are Syrian citizens of Turkish decent. They descended from groups that began moving from central Asia into what is now Syria in the 10th century. The Ottoman empire wanted them to set up towns so they could secure roads and counter the influence of Arab tribes in the area.

:: Now they live in parts of Syria, Iran and Iraq with a population ranging between 1.5 million and 3.5 million. However, some estimate their numbers in Syria to be as low as 200,000 - around 1% of their population before the war.

:: Those in Syria tend to live in western regions - Latakia, Aleppo, Homs and Idlib - where Russia has concentrated its bombing campaign in support of Syrian leader Bashar al Assad.

:: The Turkmen brigades fighting in Syria are estimated at between 2,000 and 10,000 fighters strong. They are mainly moderate Sunnis, are Turkish-trained and are one of the largest groups working in the area where the Russian plane crashed.

:: The Turkmen are not fans of Assad and the Arab nationalism of his Baath party as, under his leadership, they have been banned from publishing, teaching or writing in their native Turkish. They report that their property has been taken and their streets and towns given Arabic names.

:: The Turkmen are reported to work with other Syrian opposition groups, including the Free Syrian Army, the Islamist group Ahrar al-Sham and al-Qaeda allies al Nusra Front. Their main opposition, however, are the regular Syrian forces and the so-called Islamic State, which has branded them apostates and carried out a mass killing of them last year.

:: The Turkmen do get support from Turkey, however, with their similar culture and perhaps their opposition to an autonomous Kurdish area within Syria. Turkey, of course, is trying to prevent its own Kurdish separatists from pushing for a similar goal there.