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Turkey

Turkey

June 18, 2026

Ankara 12:40 am

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A Turkish police officers patrols at the scene of a motor-bike bomb explosion, next to a police station on Oct. 6, 2016, in Istanbul.

Turkey captures alleged ISIS-K media chief near Afghanistan-Pakistan border

The capture comes as Turkish authorities intensify raids against Islamic State networks following recent attacks and alleged plots.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Orthodox Patriarch of Bartholomew at the presidential complex, Ankara, Turkey, June 16, 2026.

Culture

Turkey’s Erdogan meets Orthodox patriarch amid push for reopening Halki Seminary

The meeting comes ahead of US President Trump’s expected attendance at next month's NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey, after Trump personally urged his Turkish counterpart to reopen the Halki Seminary.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, on May 22, 2026.

Turkey’s Fidan heads to Moscow as S-400 sanctions issue returns to fore

The visit comes weeks before Turkey hosts NATO leaders, on the sidelines of which Ankara hopes to reach a deal with Washington over CAATSA sanctions over its purchase of Russian S-400s.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York on Sept. 19, 2023.

Analysis

Erdogan-Netanyahu war of words signals deeper rivalry for regional influence

The latest Erdogan-Netanyahu clash underscored how Turkey-Israel tensions have grown beyond the Palestinian issue and into a wider regional rivalry spanning Syria, Lebanon, Iran and the eastern Mediterranean.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Feature

Turkey’s World Cup return clouded by politics, dawn kickoffs

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Explainer

Turkey slams France-Cyprus military pact as East Med rivalries deepen

Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (2nd L) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron (C) review the honor guard at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia on April 23, 2026, ahead of a meeting on the sidelines of a European summit.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Presidents Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Vladimir Putin of Russia hold a joint news conference after their meeting in Ankara, Turkey April 4, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC11505E54F0

Will Ankara’s support for Syria strikes impact Turkish-Russian ties?

Turkey’s enthusiastic support for US-led strikes targeting Assad’s military assets prompts questions about Ankara’s erratic approach to the Syrian crisis.

Despite emphatic past denials, Erdogan calls for early elections

By moving presidential elections up by over a year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has everything to gain.

Soccer Football - Turkish Super League - Galatasaray vs Basaksehir - Turk Telekom Arena, Istanbul, Turkey - April 15, 2018 General view of Galatasaray players celebrating in front of the fans at the end of the match REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1598DDF3E0

Soccer mirrors politics in polarized Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's promotion of a soccer team that subscribes to conservative Islamic values has more so polarized fans than won them over.

Why so many Turks are losing faith in Islam

Turkish politicians and media outlets have been discussing why so many young people are opting for “deism” at a time when Islam seems more ascendant than ever.

Iranian sculptor's desire for artistic freedom takes him across region

Iranian Kurdish sculptor Seywan Saeedian's life takes him across borders in a conflict-torn region, where artistic independence often comes at a steep price.

After missile strikes, Trump resumes exit strategy for Syria

"No amount of American blood or treasure can produce lasting peace and security in the Middle East," Trump says.

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer and crew, being deployed to launch strike as part of the multinational response to Syria's use of chemical weapons, is seen in this image released from Al Udeid Air Base, Doha, Qatar on April 14, 2018. U.S. Air Force/Handout via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC1FB58E8DC0

Turkey's response to US-led Syria strikes: Not enough but welcomed

Immediate Turkish official reactions to the US-led airstrikes in Syria differ significantly from the public’s perceptions: While most Turks are skeptical of Western bombing of a Muslim nation, Erdogan fans afflicted by "Assad-phobia" cheered.

TOPSHOT - A Syrian Kurdish fighter walks in the town of Rajo in the Afrin District on January 27, 2018.
Turkish troops and tanks entered northern Syria on January 21 in an offensive aimed at ousting the Kurdish Peoples' Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara considers a terror group, from the Afrin region bordering Turkey. / AFP PHOTO / STRINGER (Photo credit should read STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)

Jilted Kurds ignore Western hand-wringing over Syria gas attack

The Syrian Kurds have been notably silent on US President Donald Trump’s threat to punish Damascus over a suspected chemical attack on Douma, likely disillusioned and choosing to focus on condemning Turkey's ongoing offensive in Afrin.

Turkish soldiers ride on a military vehicle in the center of Afrin, Syria March 24, 2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC1B6933DB00

Turkey's running out of time to pick a partner in Syria

Turkey's been playing the field in Syria, but as the crisis escalates, Ankara may have to make a commitment to either its NATO allies or Moscow.

Turkey’s controversial wealth fund stumbles badly since hasty creation

Turkey’s sovereign wealth fund, which holds key public assets worth $160 billion, has stumbled badly since its hasty creation in 2016.

Syrian refugees find support, hope in Turkey's peaceful Kilis

A vocational training center is helping Syrian refugees build new lives in the peaceful Turkish border town of Kilis, but more funding is needed to keep it going.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin meets at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey April 3, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - UP1EE431A7CYB

Turkey squeezed as US-Russia tensions rise in Syria

Since the suspected chemical weapons attack by Syrian regime forces in Douma, Turkey has been producing conflicting messages, visibly torn between its strategic interests in Syria and ties to NATO and the West.