Turkey Threatens Military Action against U.S.-allied Kurds

The government of Turkey in response to the news that the Trump Administration is going to arm the Syrian Kurds with heavy weapons has threatened to take military action against them. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis spoke to the media on Wednesday and said that the US and Turkey were having open discussions but was […]

US to Arm the Kurds with Heavier Weapons, Against Wishes of Turkey

The United States is going to provide the Kurd forces in Syria with heavier weapons as they prepare to attack the key Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, U.S. officials said Tuesday. The Trump Administration’s decision is not being met with much happiness in Turkey as the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan views the […]

Clashes in northwest Syria after de-escalation zones take effect: sources

Syrian government forces and rebels clashed in the northwestern province of Hama on Friday shortly after a Russian-led deal to establish de-escalation zones took effect, a monitor and a rebel official said. Fighter jets fired at the rebel-held village of al-Zalakiyat and nearby positions in the Hama countryside, where the combatants exchanged shelling, the Syrian […]

A Russian-backed deal on ‘safe zones’ for Syria leaves U.S. wary

ISTANBUL — Russia, Iran and Turkey said Thursday that they have agreed to create “de-escalation zones” across four areas in Syria, renewing diplomatic ­efforts to bring warring parties in the country to heel after six years of fighting. Meeting in the Kazakh capital, Astana, the three powers said the cease-fire deal would come into force Saturday and would […]

Senior aide to Turkish President Erdogan threatens U.S. forces in Syria

An aide to Turkish president Recep Erdogan told a radio show that the U.S. soldiers in northern Syria are not safe from Turkish bombs, saying “we won’t be considering the fact that there are armored American vehicles… all of a sudden, by accident, a few rockets can hit them.” His comments come as a politically […]

Iranian-born media mogul fatally shot by masked assailants in central Istanbul

ISTANBUL — An Iranian-born TV mogul who had run afoul of Iran’s government was fatally shot Saturday night by masked gunmen in Istanbul, media reports said. The identities of the assailants were unknown. But Saeed Karimian, the director of GEM Group, a Persian-language media conglomerate, was reported killed along with his Kuwaiti business partner, whose […]

Turkey says detains 1,000 ‘secret imams’ in police purge

Turkish authorities said they had arrested more than a thousand “secret Imams” who had infiltrated police forces on behalf of a U.S.-based cleric accused by President Tayyip Erdogan of trying to topple him last July. The nationwide sweep was one of the largest operations in months against suspected supporters of the cleric, Fethullah Gulen, a […]

Turkish jets strike Kurdish fighters in Syria, Iraq’s Sinjar

Turkish planes bombed Kurdish fighters in Iraq’s Sinjar region and northeast Syria on Tuesday, killing at least 20 in a widening campaign against groups linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party. A Turkish military statement said around 70 militants were killed in the operations inside the two neighboring states. The air strikes in Syria targeted […]

Turkey’s Erdogan declares victory in referendum over presidential powers

ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed victory Sunday in a referendum that would grant him vast new powers as the country’s un­rivaled head of state, strengthening his influence over the judiciary and his authority over the parliament and extending his divisive tenure in office. Unofficial vote tallies published by the state news agency showed that 51 […]