Connection to President Erdogan and AK Party Following the attempted coup of July 15, 2016, President Erdogan appointed Adnan Tanrıverdi to his cabinet as chief military counselor. The close relationship between Tanrıverdi and Erdogan, who were relieved from political and military offices in the late 1990s for their Islamic convictions, has sparked allegations of corrupt behavior. These accusations including the belief that SADAT represents and exists as Erdogan's "private militia".
Involvement against the 2016 coup d'état attempt According to
American Enterprise Institute's (AEI) Michael Rubin, SADAT personnel were active and participated in
anti-coup efforts on the night of July 15, 2016. Rubin and others reference social media posts and videos captured by Turkish citizens, which supposedly show SADAT personnel attacking putschists on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey.
Training Islamist Jihadists Sources state that SADAT is actively training Islamist elements who adhere to an Islamic ideology in Syria and other locations in the Middle East. These locations include
Somalia and
Qatar, where Turkey has established military training centers and formed cooperative partnerships with the host countries' governments. Additionally, a QatariLeaks video identifies the Sudanese port city of
Suakin as another potential site of SADAT involvement.
Involvement in Syrian Civil War In 2012
Aydınlık newspaper reported that SADAT established several bases in the Istanbul and Marmara region and trained Syrian fighters. SADAT transported Syrians in these facilities for training and then Turkey used them in Syria. In 2015, the SADAT founder called in an interview for the establishment of autonomous Turkmen and Sunni Arab areas along the Turkish-Syrian borders.
Connections with Hamas In 2018, the
Israel Security Agency accused SADAT of transferring funds and material to
Hamas.
Involvement in Libyan Civil War In May 2013, was the first time Libya is mentioned in SADAT's website when it held a visit “
to determine the needs of New Libyan Armed Forces and search for possibilities for Consultancy, Training, Ordnance service delivery for Libya.”. In 2019, Sadat has sold weapons to militias loyal to Tripoli by shipping, between July and September, about 10,000 tons of weapons and ammunition (armored vehicles, missile launchers and drones). Still denounced recently by opposition parties in Turkey, a complaint was filed against Sadat International Defense Consultancy for illegal arms trade. The Turkish president denies any connection with Sadat claiming that he had “nothing to do” with the company’s leadership, despite the appointment of Sadat founder Adnan Tanrıverdi as his advisor following a 2016 coup attempt. A competitor of Sadat in Libya, the Russian
private military company Wagner, gained international notoriety in 2014 during the
war in Donbas. In 2020, the
United States Department of Defense accused SADAT of training Syrians who were sent to support pro-Turkish forces in
Libya. According to a report by the
United States Africa Command, the Syrian mercenaries are paid and supervised by SADAT trainers who also trained other militias in Libya.
Involvement in 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war SADAT has allegedly been responsible for recruiting, equipping, and transporting Syrian mercenaries to
Azerbaijan, in order to fight at the
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.
Involvement in Somali Civil War Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud requested 3,000 mercenaries to counter insurgent advances in
Middle Shabelle, a critical region near
Mogadishu. The Turkish private military company Sadat, already training
Somali forces, should deploy additional personnel to Mogadishu and Middle Shabelle to support government troops and secure a planned Turkish missile testing site on the coast, despite
Al-Shabaab offensive.
Turkey has sent 500 troops to Mogadishu as the first phase of a 2,500-strong force to bolster
Somalia’s defenses, with two
military aircraft delivering personnel and equipment, as reported by Caasimada Online. == References ==