Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu warned Syrian Kurds against siding with the Assad regime and said they should align themselves with the Syrian opposition and would have a place in “a permanent structure in Syria,” so long as they do not affect Turkish borders. The Ergenekon coup plot trial ended with the sentencing of 17 defendants, […]
Syrian Kurds take fragile steps towards autonomy
Kurdish Struggle Blurs Syria’s Battle Lines
Erdoğan, Kurds, Syria and Turkish military
Sources say Turkey has no plans to follow the EU’s lead in designating Hezbollah as a terrorist group. A bipartisan group of 46 US Congressmen sent a letter to President Gul asking him to publicly condemn “anti-Semitic” comments by government officials. Prime Minister Erdogan has accused an “interest rate lobby” of being behind a number […]
Turkey’s $50 billion jet programme raises questions –
The People’s Defense Units (YPG), the military arm of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), issued a call to arms against Islamist forces in Syria, and charged that the Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, along with the Free Syrian Army, have “become one side in attacking the Kurdish people.” […]
In a surprise visit, the head of the PKK-affiliated Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) met with Turkish officials to discuss the creation of a provisional council in an area of northern Syria. He assured them that the PYD is against the Assad regime, and that the proposed provisional council would include Arabs, Syriacs, and Turkmen, […]
The army vowed to retaliate “in multiples” against any fire from Syria; tensions are rising along the border since Kurdish forces seized the town of Ras al-Ayn from the Al Nusrah Front last week. Turkey said it will not tolerate Kurdish autonomy in Syria. A military prosecutor asked for a 25-year sentence for a Turkish […]
The Al Nusrah Front, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and reportedly the Free Syrian Army are fighting the PKK-linked YPG in northern Syria.
Libyan weapons fuel Syria bloodshed
Kurdish-Islamist fighting spreads to Syrian oil fields
No Quick Impact in US Arms Plan for Syria Rebels
The Parliament amended Turkey’s code to restrict the army’s power to defending against foreign threats, in place of a provision that had been used to justify military coups. Foreign Minister Davutoğlu and Iran’s foreign minister jointly called for a ceasefire in Syria during Ramadan. Davutoğlu also urged that all foreign fighters leave Syria, including Hezbollah. […]
Aid to Egypt From Saudis and Emiratis Is Part of Struggle With Qatar for Influence
Syria claims discovery of enough chemical weapons to “destroy a country”
This LWJ report examines al Qaeda’s activities in Turkey, providing a detailed look at its targets, plots, and attacks. These activities suggest that the al Qaeda threat in Turkey persists and is concentrated on targeting Western interests, including those of the US.
Ankara in diplomacy to undo Egypt coup
Turkey’s Leadership Watches Uneasily as Egypt’s Brotherhood Stumbles
Prime Minister Erdogan said only 10 to 15 percent of the militants affiliated with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have left Turkey. A police chief was killed in a clash with the PKK’s police unit, the Patriotic Revolutionist Youth Movement (YDG-H), in Şırnak. Suspected PKK militants in Tunceli attacked two villages and kidnapped a […]
Mosque Dream Seen at Heart of Turkey Protests
In Turnabout, Syria Rebels Get Libyan Weapons
How Many Chechens Are Fighting In Syria?
Turkish police arrested four Belgians at the border as they tried to enter Syria to fight with the rebels; the four were sent back to Belgium. Last month Belgium had asked Turkey to tighten border security over concerns that a number of Belgians were traveling to Syria to fight; an estimated 100 Belgian citizens are […]
Boris Johnson: We’ve left it too late to save Syria – this conflict can never be won
Police clashed with thousands of protesters in Istanbul’s Taksim Square after Prime Minister Erdogan ordered them to clear the area for a rally by the ruling AK party on Sunday. The governor of Istanbul claimed that “provocateurs” are now using guns in the protests. Erdogan said Turkish intelligence was looking into possible links between internal […]
Protests that began in Istanbul’s Taksim Square nearly two weeks ago against the authoritarian rule of Prime Minister Erdogan continued, with violence by both police and protesters. Three people have died and nearly 5,000 have been injured, many by the use of CR and tear gas, in the ongoing clashes. Protests have taken place in […]
How Syria conflict affects its neighbours
Turkey rules out early polls, thousands defy call to end protest
Turkmenistan Keeps Lid On All Things Islam