SADAT International Defense Consultancy Inc.

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SADAT
TypePrivate
IndustryPrivate military training services contractor
Founded2012; 10 years ago (2012)
Istanbul, Turkey
Founders
HeadquartersMarmara Mah. Hurriyet Bulvari No:110/H
Beylikdüzü, İstanbul
Turkey[1]
40°58′29″N 28°40′03″E / 40.974834°N 28.667477°E / 40.974834; 28.667477Coordinates: 40°58′29″N 28°40′03″E / 40.974834°N 28.667477°E / 40.974834; 28.667477
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Melih Tanrıverdi
ProductsLaw enforcement training
ServicesInternational defense and interior security consulting
Websitewww.sadat.com.tr/

SADAT Inc. International Defense Consultancy is a private Turkish security contractor headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the country's first domestic military consultancy firm, founded in 2012 by former Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) brigadier general, Adnan Tanrıverdi.[2] The company operates within the Middle East and provides services such as military and interior training, defense consultancy, and ordnance procurement. SADAT's mission and purpose remains shrouded in controversy, facing allegations from anti-Justice and Development Party (AKP) sources. These allegations range from supporting establishing a private army loyal to President Tayyip Recep Erdogan. It has close communication and cooperation with the Turkish National Intelligence Organization.[3] Sadat’s CEO admits working with Turkish intelligence agency on March 21 2021.[4][unreliable source?]

Company profile[]

Adnan Tanriverdi, along with 23 TSK officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs), created SADAT Inc. on February 28, 2012. The organization maintained a Board of Directors including Adnan and four other members. His son, Mehli Tanriverdi, is the current Chairman of the Board. The company employees between 50 to 200 former TSK officers from various branches and specializations. Its list of services include:

  • Consultancy
  • Training
    • Conventional Military Training
    • Unconventional Military Training
    • Special Forces Training
  • Ordnance

The company's stated mission is "establishing the connection among the Islamic countries in the sense of defense and military industries, in order to assist the Islamic world to take the rank it deserves among super world powers as a self-sufficient military power, by submitting them the services regarding the organization of armed forces, defense consultancy, military training, and ordnance."[5]

SADAT Inc. has a sister organization, ASSAM, with a more political focus that was also headed by Adnan Tanriverdi until January 2020.[6] It runs a strategic studies center and hosts annual conventions.[7]

Controversies[]

Connection to President Erdogan and AKP[]

Following the attempted coup of July 15, 2016, President Erdogan appointed Adnan Tanriverdi to his cabinet as chief military counselor.[8][9] The close relationship between Tanriverdi and Erdogan, who were relieved from political and military offices in the late 1990s for their Islamic convictions, has sparked allegations of corrupt behavior.[10] These accusations including the belief that SADAT represents and exists as Erdogan's "private militia."

Involvement in coup 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.[11][12]

Training Islamist Jihadists[]

Sources state that SADAT is actively training Islamist elements who adhere to a Islamic ideology in Syria and other locations in the Middle East.[13] These locations include Somalia and Qatar, where Turkey has established military training centers and formed cooperative partnerships with the host countries' governments.[14] Additionally, a QatariLeaks video identifies the Sudanese port city of Suakin as another potential site of SADAT involvement.[15]

References[]

  1. ^ "SADAT Home". Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  2. ^ Cubukcu, Saut. "The Rise of Paramilitary Groups in Turkey". ResearchGate.
  3. ^ "Turkish paramilitary firm Sadat's CEO admits working with Turkish intelligence agency MIT". Nordic Monitor. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Turkish paramilitary firm Sadat's CEO admits working with Turkish intelligence agency MIT - Nordic Monitor". nordicmonitor.com. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  5. ^ Karmon, Ely; Barak, Michael. "Erdogan's Turkey and the Palestinian Issue". Terrorism Analysts.
  6. ^ Yayla, Ahmet S. (2020-01-23). "Is Erdogan Preparing "Erdoganistan"?". The Investigative Journal. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  7. ^ "Three-Year Activity Plan - ASSAM". assam.org.tr. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  8. ^ Rubin, Michael. "Has SADAT become Erdogan's Revolutionary Guards?". American Enterprise Institute.
  9. ^ "Turkey's Erdoğan selects controversial security contractor as his new advisor". Ahval News.
  10. ^ Spyer, Dr. Jonathan. "Erdogan's Shadow Army: The Influence of "Sadat," Turkey's Private Defense Group". The Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security.
  11. ^ Jacinto, Leela. "Turkey's Post-Coup Purge and Erdogan's Private Army". Foreign Policy.
  12. ^ "July 15 Erdogan's Coup" (PDF). Stockholm Center for Freedom.
  13. ^ Spyer, Dr. Jonathan. "Erdogan's Shadow Army: The Influence of "Sadat," Turkey's Private Defense Group". Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security.
  14. ^ Rubin, Michael. "US missteps in Somalia benefit our enemies". American Enterprise Institute.
  15. ^ "Sadat Inc.: The Turkish revolutionary guard in Qatar". YouTube. QatariLeaks.

External links[]

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