Turkey - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Turkey

Turkey

October 15, 2026

Ankara 9:21 pm

13°C

Abandoned cars piled up among debris and standing water following extremely heavy rainfall, Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 15, 2026.

Turkey: Flash floods kill 3, paralyze Istanbul after record downpour

Heavy rains stranded hundreds, blocking major roads and disrupting air and public transportation, flooding buildings and forcing school closures across Istanbul province.

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attend the inaugural meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) at Prague Castle on Oct. 6, 2022 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Explainer

Why Israel, Armenia don't benefit from hijab spat between Turkey, Azerbaijan

Israel and Armenia have reasons to worry about the escalating dispute between Turkey and Azerbaijan, despite their own tensions with Ankara and Baku.

Serhan Asker, General Program Coordinator at Halk TV, makes a statement outside the Ankara branch of Turkey's most-watched news channel, Halk TV.

Live Updates

Turkey seizes opposition Halk TV as crackdown widens: What to know

Halk TV is a pro-opposition broadcaster and one of Turkey’s most-watched news channels.

A shop owner assists one of his customers at Malta bazaar in the Fatih district in Istanbul, on Dec. 6, 2024.

Iran mum as Azerbaijan’s school hijab ban, Israel ties test alliance with Turkey

Azerbaijan’s restrictions on Islamic dress in schools have sparked an unusual public spat with Turkey, exposing tensions beneath the allies’ close political and security ties.

Latest News

Explainer

PKK pulls out of Metina in northern Iraq amid Turkey peace process

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters arrive in the northern Iraqi city of Dohuk on May 14, 2013, after leaving Turkey as part of a peace drive with Ankara.

Analysis

Pragmatic politics: Why Turkey avoids blaming Russia for Black Sea attacks

A cargo ship at the Port of Trabzon, Turkey

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Rubio signals US push to ease Greece-Turkey cable tensions

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) meets with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (L) during a visit on Oct. 7, 2026, in Athens, Greece.

Turkey to send Mecca pact to parliament, opening path to Saudi deployment

Turkish Navy infantry soldiers take part in the Denizkurdu-I/2026 Exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Aksaz, at Marmaris in Mugla, on Sept. 24, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Iraqi riot police protect the Turkish embassy in Baghdad on Feb. 18, 2021 after calls on social media to gather outside the Turkish embassy to protest Turkey's vows to invade the northwestern enclave of Sinjar.

Turkey’s anti-PKK assault leaves Kurds more divided

Turkey’s unremitting assault against the PKK is destabilizing Iraqi Kurdistan, weakening the rebels on the one hand while bolstering support for them among disaffected locals on the other.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Pro-Kurdish lawmaker released from Turkish prison after five-day delay

Pro-Kurdish lawmaker Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu was finally released from prison Tuesday, five days after Turkey’s Constitutional Court ruled his rights had been violated in his detention.

Turkey's Oruc Reis seismic research vessel

Erdogan: Turkey will continue oil exploration in disputed eastern Mediterranean

Turkey's president may be upping the ante against Greece, Cyprus and the European Union.

Syrian youth training in Aleppo

US adds Turkey to list of countries using child soldiers

A US State Department report called out Turkey for providing support to armed groups in Syria that use children in combat.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Erdogan’s rapprochement with Egypt comes at expense of Brotherhood

Turkey's strong support for the Muslim Brotherhood has created a robust diaspora of its members in Turkey, but it is fast becoming a burden on Turkish foreign policy.

BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images

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.

Iran's President-elect Ebrahim Raisi delivers speech at the Imam Reza shrine in the city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran, on June 22, 2021.

The Takeaway: Iran deal on front burner before Raisi takes office

Also: Bibi plots his comeback, a woman boxing coach trains men in Egypt, and the latest from Gaza, Jordan, Iraq, and Turkey.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (L) attends the second international Libya conference on June 23, 2021, in Berlin, Germany.

Turkey stalls on withdrawal of foreign forces from Libya

Turkey might have managed to stave off pressure in the Berlin conference on Libya, but as the December elections near, the Turkish military presence in the country will remain a source of tension.

Islamic State suspects in prison in Hasakah, Syria

Turkey's mixed record against Islamic State

Structural problems continue to keep Turkey from putting in place a comprehensive strategy to combat Islamic State elements in the country, despite numerous operations against networks linked to the radical Islamist group.

BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey prepares to leave women's rights convention

A decision by Turkey’s Council of State Tuesday opened the way for the nation to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention to prevent violence against women on July 1 despite condemnation from international bodies and women’s rights advocates.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (2nd L) gives an award to Ronesans Holding Member of Board Ferit Seyfi Yagmuroglu (2nd R) during Turkey's 500 Largest Service Exporters Award Ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 21, 2018.

Turkish-Danish hospital deal might be more than meets the eye

A Turkish company known as a presidential favorite is ceding its lucrative hospital operation business, a move observers believe is driven not only by financial hardship but also apprehension over Erdogan’s political future.

A handout picture taken and released on July 2 , 2020, by the Turkish Presidential Press service shows Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) meeting Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, Qatar.

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.