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

Turkey

Turkey

April 6, 2026

Ankara 3:59 am

8°C

Turkey's Camp TURKSOM, a Turkish military base south of Mogadishu, is seen from the window of an aircraft, on April 26, 2025, in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Analysis

Turkey’s expanding military role in Somalia draws scrutiny amid federal rift

Turkey’s expanding military footprint in Somalia is drawing criticism amid deepening federal-regional tensions, with Ankara denying it is taking sides.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Turkey in talks with Iran to clear 11 ships stuck in Hormuz: What to know

Turkey's transport minister says that 11 vessels await passage from Hormuz pending talks with Iran.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to MPs at his party's group meeting in the Turkish parliament on Jan. 21, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey.

Analysis

How the Iran war is giving Turkey's Erdogan a big boost

Opinion polls show Turks turning to Erdogan as a steady hand during the war, even as the country's finances remain fragile.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Turkey says NATO defenses intercepted fourth missile from Iran

German soldiers stand to attention in front of a German Patriot missile launcher at the Gazi barracks in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey on March 25, 2014.

Analysis

Energy storage keeps Turkey stable, but long war risks fragile economy

Sedat Suna/Getty Images

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkey confirms Iraq troop withdrawal as NATO pulls back due to Iran war

A handing over of command ceremony at Union III Camp in the Green Zone of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on May 22, 2025.

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

HDP MP Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu holds a photograph depicting censorship.

Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, writers reject Turkey’s new 'censorship' bill

Turkey’s main opposition has taken the newly enacted bill to the Constitutional Court for annulment, while Erdogan described the law he swiftly ratified as “a pressing necessity.”

ERdogan Flake

US dismisses Turkish criticism of imbalance in Mediterranean

The US ambassador to Turkey stated that America is focusing on the Russian invasion of Ukraine amid simmering tensions between Turkey and Greece.

A man walks in front of a screen showing rates against Turkish lira near a currency exchange agency at Kaarakoy in Istanbul on Dec. 16, 2021 in Istanbul.

Erdogan’s staunchest backers 'tired' of interest rate debate

The Turkish president’s controversial economic policies have led to rare public criticism by a business group that has long backed his party.

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Turkish mine disaster sends blame flying

In the wake of an explosion that killed 41 miners, several Turkish bodies are trading blame for safety failures in the coal industry.

Members of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group bring reinforcements.

Is Turkey using HTS to strengthen its hand in Syria?

Amid Ankara’s overtures to Damascus, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — the radical group controlling Idlib — has seized Afrin and is seeking a deal to expand its control further into territories held by factions allied with Turkey.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Putin’s 'gas hub’ plan aims to bolster Erdogan's image

Erdogan has accepted Putin’s offer to create a “gas hub” in northwest Turkey. But what is a gas hub? Is it workable? If realized, what impact would it have?

Members of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadi group advance toward the village of Jindayris.

Are Syria’s HTS jihadis Turkey’s new friends?

After Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the jihadi faction that runs the northwestern province of Idlib, moved into Afrin, the question of where Turkey stands in this power grab is of critical importance.

CIS summit

Middle Eastern leaders converge on Kazakhstan

The Central Asian nation hosted the annual Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States summits this week.

Turkey mine blast

Turkish coal mine explosion kills 22, traps dozens

The accident in northern Turkey killed 22 people, injured more than 20 and trapped dozens of miners waiting to be rescued from underground.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gave a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Cemevleri

Erdogan’s pre-election gesture to Alevis met with suspicion

Many leaders of Turkey’s Alevi community question the motives behind Erdogan’s plan to create a public authority in charge of Alevi houses of worship.

Fatih Ardıç - Maskot Ettin Beni

Turkish imam loses his job over lyrics criticizing government

Demotion of an imam over a protest song comes as another sign of the expanding intolerant climate in Turkey ahead of June elections.

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez.

Turkey bullish about F-16 deal with Washington, despite Menendez's vow to block it

The New Jersey senator has vowed to block any deal until the Turkish president "halts his campaign of aggression against the region."