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Turkey

Turkey

June 18, 2026

Ankara 10:05 pm

17°C

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

Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) stand near U.S military vehicles in the town of Darbasiya next to the Turkish border, Syria April 29, 2017. Picture taken April 29, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC16C054E9B0

US support for Kurds in Iraq, Syria unaffected by tensions with Turkey

The Pentagon is standing by Kurdish fighters in Iraq and Syria despite growing political pressure to back off, according to a government audit.

Turkish forces are seen on Mount Barsaya in northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28, 2018.REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi - RC1E13D8A6D0

Ankara’s Syria incursion risks sparking long-term ethnic feud in Turkey

Turkey’s military intervention into Afrin might disrupt the social ties between Turkey’s Kurds and Turks permanently and spark an ethnic Turkish-Kurdish feud that could last for generations.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives to greet European Council President Donald Tusk (not pictured) before a meeting at the European Council in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2017. REUTERS/Olivier Hoslet/Pool - RC1429C1E940

Turkey pledges to change terror law to win EU visas

Turkey has submitted a position paper to Brussels promising to amend the counterterrorism law to decriminalize journalistic opinions, a long-standing demand from Europe before it will grant Turks visa-free travel.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks as he holds a press conference following the Extraordinary Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on last week's US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, on December 13, 2017, in Istanbul.
Islamic leaders on December 13 urged the world to recognise occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, as Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas warned the United States no longer had any role to play in the peace process. / AFP PHOTO / YASIN AK

Erdogan mobilizes children for propaganda war

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's choice to have small children read politically charged poetry and prayers in the parliament was a brazen embrace of religious nationalism.

US maintains mystery about long-term intentions in Syria

Remember that "border force" the US said it was, and then wasn't, forming in Syria? Apparently, it's already there.

Turkish forces and Free Syrian Army members are seen on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28, 2018. REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi - RC12885992C0

Erdogan escalates threats to attack Manbij

Turkey’s president has promised to widen Turkey’s military offensive in Syria despite US warnings, insisting that the Americans haven't kept their agreement to get the Kurdish militants to withdraw from Manbij.

PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 27: Tolga Karacelik accepts the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic award for "Butterflies" during the Sundance Film Festival Awards Night Ceremony at Basin Recreation Field House on January 27, 2018 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Despite Ankara's lack of support, Turkish film wins big at Sundance

The Turkish government has put private theater and movie productions in a chokehold through restrictions in financing and legal hurdles.

Turkish voices increasingly calling for dialogue with Assad

Developments in Syria could force Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to swallow his antipathy to President Bashar al-Assad and establish some level of contact with him, as a growing number of Turks believe.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks during a news conference in Istanbul, Turkey January 25, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1AD2229B60

Palestinians turn to Turkey

The Palestinians are hopeful that Turkey’s promises of increased financial aid will make up for the losses resulting from the United States reducing its aid to UNRWA.

Demonstrators wave Turkish flags during a protest in front of the Dutch Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, March 12, 2017. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1DBCCB3850

Netherlands withdraws ambassador from Turkey

Turkish and Dutch relations are once again under strain as the Dutch ambassador is recalled from Ankara.

Ankara eyes next options in Afrin offensive

Indications from Ankara and the battlefield suggest Ankara is opting for urban warfare instead of a long siege on Afrin in Syria.

How Iran sees Turkey’s military operation in northern Syria

A complex series of considerations — including the ignition of blowback from Kurdish groups elsewhere in the region — has caused Iran to remain muted in its response to Turkey’s military incursion into northern Syria.