Turkey’s president is trying to sound more helpful to the West. But his broader policy objectives have not changed. On 14 June, US President Joe Biden met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels. Ankara had long anticipated the meeting, as the transfer …
Read More »Pro-Turkish Factions Confiscate Property of Displaced Persons
The pro-Turkish al-Hamza Division summoned the mayors of the villages and towns which they control – Ma’arat, Kazeh, Kfardali Fawqani, and Kfardali. The Division demanded the mayors to count the property of the forcibly displaced people from the aforementioned areas, to take full control over them. According to the Syrian …
Read More »Turkey’s illegal renditions of Syrian nationals back in spotlight
Critics say the arrest of Syrian citizens and their extradition to Turkey violates Turkish and international humanitarian law. The rendition of Syrian nationals to Turkey, where they are prosecuted and jailed on thinly evidenced terror charges, has returned to the spotlight with the life sentencing by a Turkish court of …
Read More »Russia and Turkey Agree on Military Free Zone
Days before a new round of discussions in Astana between Iran, Turkey, and Russia, and in parallel to talks about Turkey’s fear of a military operation by the Syrian army in Idleb, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced a new agreement between the two …
Read More »Reports on Turkey-Qatar military training accords questioned by Erdogan critics
A military education agreement between Turkey and Qatar drew backlash from opposition members in Ankara after local media reporting misrepresented its content, though rumors persist. The deepening cooperation between strategic allies Turkey and Qatar has long drawn scrutiny from opposition parties in Ankara, and an accord published in the nation’s …
Read More »Turkish-backed opposition seeks unified security forces in north Syria
The Turkish-backed opposition is trying to benefit from the experience of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in establishing a new security apparatus to pursue terrorist cells in the areas under its control in north Syria. A new security apparatus is coming together in the areas controlled by the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army …
Read More »John Bolton joins newly launched Turkish Democracy Project
The group describes its mission as “encouraging Turkey to adopt more democratic policies and responding to the steady erosion of Turkey’s democratic institutions.” John Bolton, the former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, says he’s joined the advisory council of the Turkish Democracy Project, a newly launched nonprofit, “to …
Read More »Turkey arrests 26 in raids against Islamic State
There are concerns about the Islamic State’s ability to still operate within and close to Turkish territory. Turkish police arrested 26 people on Monday for allegedly being linked to the Islamic State (IS).
Read More »Turkey attacks Kurdish militants in northern Syria
The fighters attempted to infiltrate territory held by Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies, according to Turkish state media. Turkish soldiers “neutralized” three Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters in northern Syria, the Turkish state media outlet Anadolu Agency reported Thursday. The Turkish military uses the term “neutralized” to refer to …
Read More »Turkey needs to build support for new Afghan mission
Turkey’s offer to secure Kabul’s airport might turn into a perilous mission unless it reaches some understanding with the Taliban and secures the critical support of regional actors such as Pakistan and Iran. Turkey is out to drum up support for its offer to take charge of Kabul’s airport after …
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