Turkey

Turkish academics, journalists and rights groups are demanding that a planned release of tens of thousands of prisoners to stem the spread of the coronavirus should not exclude inmates whose only crime, they say, has been to challenge the authorities. President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party proposed a bill on Tuesday …

Iran said on Tuesday its natural gas exports to Turkey have stopped after an attack on a pipeline inside the neighbouring country, an Iranian official told state TV. “This morning, terrorists attacked a natural gas pipeline inside Turkey near Iran’s Bazargan border with Turkey …Flow of gas has been halted,” …

Two intelligence officers at Iran’s consulate in Turkey instigated the killing last November of an Iranian dissident in Istanbul who criticized the Islamic Republic’s political and military leaders, two senior Turkish officials told Reuters. The accusation is likely to strain ties between Turkey and Iran, two regional powers which had …

Istanbul prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday it had prepared an indictment against 20 suspects over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, including the former deputy head of Saudi Arabia’s general intelligence and a former royal adviser. Khashoggi’s killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018 caused a …

Turkey’s Education Ministry is investigating how animated footage of the execution of a former prime minister was shown to children as part of their home schooling during the coronavirus outbreak, Education Minister Ziya Selcuk said on Tuesday. Students started home classes on Monday after a week off school as part …

ne Turkish soldier was killed in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, the governor’s office in Turkey’s central Sivas province said on Thursday. It did not provide additional details. Turkey, which backs rebels opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, agreed a ceasefire with Russia two weeks ago after months of fighting …

Bars and nightclubs in Turkey will be closed from Monday in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus, the Turkish Interior Ministry said on Sunday. It said the temporary ban will go into effect at 10 am (0700 GMT) on Monday. The ministry did not say how long the …

Russia and Turkey cut short their first joint patrol in Syria’s Idlib on Sunday after rebels and civilians opposed to a ceasefire agreement cut off a main roadway to block its path, according to witnesses and Russian news agencies. The patrol on the M4 highway in Idlib province was the …

Turkish and Russian officials have largely reached an agreement on details of a ceasefire in Syria’s Idlib region during talks in Ankara, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar was quoted as saying by state media on Thursday. Last week, Turkey and Russia agreed on the ceasefire meant to halt an escalation …

Turkey will keep its border open for migrants trying to travel to Europe until the European Union (EU) meets Ankara’s expectations over a 2016 migration deal, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday. Tens of thousands of migrants have been trying to get into EU member Greece since Turkey said on …

Turkey’s military will patrol to the north of a security corridor being set up around a highway in northwest Syria’s Idlib province and Russian forces will patrol the southern side, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday. Agreement on the corridor was part of a ceasefire deal reached by …

Turkey staged an attack with a combat drone against Syrian government forces in Syria’s Idlib on Thursday before a ceasefire went into effect, destroying military equipment and “neutralising” soldiers, the Turkish defense ministry said. It said the drone attack occurred around 4 p.m. (1300 GMT). Later in the day, Turkey …

Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 defence systems is a very serious concern as Washington considers what support to offer over Syria’s Idlib, the U.S. special representative for the region James Jeffrey said on Thursday. Speaking in Istanbul, Jeffrey also said the United States had already offered humanitarian assistance and information …

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan flew to Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin over a potential ceasefire in Syria’s Idlib, where their militaries are facing off in a war that has displaced nearly a million people in three months. A senior Turkish official told Reuters that a ceasefire …

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday that fortified rebel positions in Syria’s Idlib province had merged with Turkish observation posts, and that artillery attacks on nearby civilian areas and Russia’s air base in Syria had become daily. The allegations, made by Major-General Igor Konashenkov, are likely to increase tensions …

The Turkish Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that a warplane of the Syrian government forces had been shot down in the course of a Turkish-led military offensive launched in northwest Syria to push back the forces of President Bashar al-Assad. The ministry described the downed jet as an L-39 warplane. …

A rocket hit an armored vehicle carrying Turkish customs personnel in an attack near the border with Iran on Friday, killing one person and injuring others, Turkish officials said, adding that clashes were under way in the area. The rocket struck the vehicle’s front wheel around 0550 GMT on Monday, …

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Sunday that Moscow could not guarantee the safety of Turkish planes flying in Syria after Damascus said it was closing the air space over the Idlib region, the TASS news agency reported. The ministry issued the warning after Turkey shot down two Syrian warplanes …

Turkey shot down two Syrian warplanes over Idlib on Sunday and struck a military airport well beyond its frontlines in a sharp escalation of its military operations following the death of dozens of Turkish soldiers last week. Ankara has ramped up its attacks, including drone strikes, against the Russian-backed Syrian …

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara wants the United States to send Patriot missiles to Turkey for back-up in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib. Cavusoglu made the comment to reporters on Saturday in the Qatari capital Doha after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Attacks by Syrian …

The United States is reviewing options to assist Turkey after an attack by Russian-backed Syrian government forces killed 33 Turkish soldiers in Syria’s Idlib province, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday. “The United States is engaging with our Turkish Allies and reviewing options to assist Turkey against …

U.N. chief Antonio Guterres on Friday described an increase in fighting in northwest Syria that killed dozens of Turkish troops as “one of the most alarming moments” of the nine-year-old war and – along with most U.N. Security Council members – called for a ceasefire. The 15-member Security Council met …

Britain said it will be calling for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Friday after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed by Russian-backed Syrian government troops in the escalating war in the area. “There is no justification for such blatant disregard of international law or basic human …

Turkey said on Friday that world powers must impose a no-fly zone in Syria to protect hundreds of thousands of people displaced by clashes, after the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers by Syrian air strikes in the Idlib region. Turkey will no longer stop the nearly 4 million refugees it …

Turkey and Russia are discussing opening Russian-controlled air space in Syria’s Idlib region for armed and unarmed drones, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar was quoted as saying on Thursday, but he added that problems over the issue persisted. Speaking to reporters in parliament, Akar said Ankara was “hopeful” about ongoing …

Syrian rebels backed by the Turkish military have seized the town of Nairab in northwest Syria’s Idlib province, Turkish and rebel officials said on Tuesday, the first area to be taken back from advancing Syrian government forces. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, supported by Russian air power, are trying to …

The United Nations is in talks with Turkey to boost cross-border aid flows into northwest Syria and allow more evacuations of those in urgent need of medical help, such as babies in incubators, as shelling draws closer. More than three million people are trapped in northwest Syria between the Turkish …

A Turkish soldier was killed in Syria’s Idlib region in a bomb attack by Russian-backed government forces, the defence ministry said on Saturday, Turkey’s 16th military death during a month in which talks between Ankara and Moscow have stalled. The rising Turkish military death toll, including two on Thursday, could …

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has discussed the situation in Syria’s Idlib with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar, Russian news agencies reported on Saturday. “During the telephone conversation they discussed issues of stabilization of the situation in Idlib de-escalation zone,” Interfax agency reported, citing a statement from the Defence Ministry. …

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Thursday that the United States may send Patriot missile systems to Turkey to use for security in the face of the conflict in northwestern Syria’s Idlib region. Speaking in an interview with broadcaster CNN Turk, Akar said talks with the United States on …

Turkey and Russia are discussing possible joint patrols as one way to reach a deal to halt fighting and stem an exodus of civilians in Syria’s Idlib region, a Turkish official said on Thursday, a day after Ankara threatened military action to push back Syrian government forces. Turkey and Russia, …

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday a Turkish military operation to push back a Syrian government offensive against rebel strongholds in northwest Syria was now “a matter of time” after talks with Russia failed to halt the assault. Turkish troops have already massed inside Syria ready to act and …

Turkey has restarted joint patrols with the Russian military in northeast Syria after a two-week hiatus, Russia said late on Monday, as a Syrian government offensive in the Idlib region continued to strain Moscow’s ties with Ankara. Turkey and Russia have jointly patrolled Syrian territory near the Turkish border since …

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump exchanged views on an immediate halt to fighting in Syria’s Idlib province Saturday, the Turkish presidency said. The two leaders agreed by phone that Syrian government forces’ attacks in the northwestern province, which killed 13 Turkish troops, were unacceptable, it said …

Strains between Turkey and Russia over the escalating Syrian offensive in Idlib appear not to have shaken Turkish plans to deploy Russian missile defense systems, a senior U.S. official said on Friday, despite a threat of U.S sanctions. The fighting in the northwestern Syrian province has led to testy exchanges …

Turkey will use force against those violating a ceasefire in Syria’s northwestern Idlib region including “radical” groups, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Thursday, according to state media. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that his military would strike Syrian government forces by air or ground anywhere in …

Russia on Wednesday accused Turkey of flouting agreements it had made with Moscow on Syria and of aggravating the situation in Idlib where Syrian forces have made gains in their campaign to eliminate the last insurgent bastion in a nine-year-old war. That offensive has fueled violence in Idlib, in northwest …

Turkey-backed Syrian rebels have downed a helicopter believed to belong to the Syrian government in northwestern Syria’s Nairab town, Turkish state broadcaster TRT Haber reported on Tuesday, as clashes continued in the region. TRT Haber did not provide any further details. The incident comes a day after Syrian government forces …

Turkish forces have hit 115 Syrian government targets and destroyed 101 of them in retaliation for an attack that killed five Turkish soldiers in Syria’s rebel-held northwest, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Monday. The ministry said Turkish forces would continue to retaliate any attacks on its troops, which have …

Syrian government forces attacked a Turkish military post in the Taftanaz area of northwest Syria’s Idlib on Monday, Turkish officials said, and broadcaster NTV cited the Turkish Defense Ministry as saying five soldiers were killed. The officials told Reuters that Turkish forces were retaliating after the strike on Taftanaz, where …

Iran is ready to help Ankara and Damascus resolve their disputes, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. In a meeting between the visiting United Nations’ special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, and Iranian officials, Tehran underlined the importance of resolving issues in Syria through diplomacy, it said on its …

Turkey has no plans to withdraw troops from observation posts in Syria’s northwest Idlib region even though three of the posts are in areas now controlled by the Syrian government, a Turkish security source said on Friday. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to drive back Syrian troops in Idlib …

A Russian delegation will arrive in Turkey on Saturday for talks aiming to stop the Syrian government’s offensive and halt a humanitarian catastrophe in Syria’s northwest Idlib region, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday. Cavusoglu repeated Turkey would do whatever is necessary to stop a humanitarian tragedy in …

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan threatened on Wednesday to drive back Syrian troops in Idlib unless they withdraw by the end of the month to stem an assault which he said had displaced nearly 1 million people. Shelling by Syrian government forces killed eight Turkish military personnel on Monday, prompting Turkish …