Q. How many are there?

A. No reliable figures are available, and estimates on the number of Turkmens in Syria and nearby countries vary widely, from the hundreds of thousands up to 3 million or more. The governments of Mr. Assad, and his father, Hafez al-Assad, banned them from writing or publishing in Turkish.

Q. Where do they stand in the civil war?

A. Many Turkmens actively oppose the Assad government. Several Turkmen rebel brigades were organized in northwest Syria early in the civil war and have received training and assistance from the Turkish government. These units generally fight against the Syrian Army and its Iranian-backed Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, who receive Russian air support.

Turkmens living near the border town of Kobani have also organized a fighting unit that supports the Kurdish rebels there, and that battles mainly against Islamic State militants.