--- title: "Turkish special forces opened a ‘sniper cafe’ on the front line against ISIS" date: "2020-02-05" modified: "2020-10-30" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-trending/turkish-special-forces-opened-a-sniper-cafe-on-the-front-line-against-isis/" categories: - "Military News" - "Special Operations" - "Tactical" tags: - "ISIS" --- # Turkish special forces opened a ‘sniper cafe’ on the front line against ISIS ![]() An old Turkish proverb notes that "coffee should be black as hell, strong as death, and sweet as love." One possible interpretation for this is that you should enjoy your coffee under any circumstance. --- Even fighting the Islamic State. Turkish special forces troops are said to be taking this to the extreme, opening a sort of coffee house on a rooftop overlooking the Syrian city of Al-Bab. The Turks sent their special operators into the area in December, and now the city is said to [be surrounded by Turkish forces](). ![]() *The livemap of the Syrian War near Al-Bab as of Feb. 15, 2017. The red represents the Free Syrian Army, ISIS is the black area, and Turkish-controlled territory is in dark green.* Reddit user "[bopollo]()" posted a few photos of Turkish troops near a sniper overwatch position. While there's no concrete evidence the photo was taken in Al-Bab, the writing is on the wall. ![]() *Literally.* Bopollo is a frequent commenter and contributor on operations and developments of the Syrian Civil War. The photo above shows directions to both Al-Bab and Kabbasin, both towns in Syria still held by ISIS. The road between the two cities is also held by the terror organization. It's fairly common for troops to write graffiti on the walls of buildings they captured and held. It turns out Turkish special operators are no different. ### Related: [This collection of graffiti tells the real story of what modern war is like ]() While it's entirely unlikely that special forces troops opened an actual functioning business, the building is more likely just an area secured by the *Su Altı Taarruz,* Turkey's Navy SEALs (you can see the flag with the SAT logo on it above). ![]() But because Turkish people are funny and there are at least [106 Starbucks locations in Istanbul](), it's likely some troops are living it up as best they can on the front lines against ISIS. The [U.S. Army won war after war fueled by coffee]() – turns out Turkey does too. They just don't have a [Green Beans]()...yet. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()