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Turkey

Turkey

May 17, 2026

Ankara 5:23 am

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Mazloum Kobane, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks during the pan-Kurdish "Unity and Consensus" conference in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on April 26, 2025.

Interview

Syrian Kurdish commander Kobane says Turkey visit ‘in the making,’ Ocalan meeting possible

The SDF commander-in-chief reflected on a fragile integration deal with Damascus, growing Kurdish backlash and ongoing talks with Turkey as questions mount over Rojava’s political future.

Mazloum Kobane

Mazloum Kobane

SDF commander in chief

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shake hands before a meeting at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.

Turkey, Armenia to launch direct trade in normalization push: What to know

The move removes a decades-old reexport mechanism routed largely through Georgia as Ankara and Yerevan step up normalization efforts.

Latest News

New Turkey maritime draft bill fuels EastMed tensions with Greece, Cyprus

The helicopter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lands on Abdulhamid Han drill ship, the fourth built by Turkey, in Mersin on Aug. 9, 2022, before being sent for gas exploration to an undisputed area in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Gazipasa.

Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria

Turkish Red Crescent's cars and trucks cross the Turkish border as they leave the Syrian city of Tel Abyad on Oct. 19, 2019, in Akcakale, Turkey.

Analysis

From drones to deterrence: Turkey's ICBM missile signals bigger ambitions

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 06: A man poses for a photograph in front of the newly unveiled, Turkish made intercontinental ballistic missile Yildirimhan at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. The International Defence and Aerospace Exhibition, showcased Turkish and foreign companies new products and technology. The expo was dominated by UAV products as modern warfare increasingly shifts to drone and unmanned technologies. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

A man looks at the front page of Turkish daily newspaper Sozcu, which reads 'If Sozcu is silent, Turkey will be silent', on September 1, 2015 in Ankara. Sozcu, an opposition daily critical of the government, left the slots for opinion columns on its front page empty to protest against the governments 'increasing pressure'. Sozcu is accusing President Tayyip Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) of 'increasing pressure over the past year on opposition newspapers'. AFP PHOTO/ADEM ALTAN (P

The unbearable lightness of media in Erdogan’s Turkey

Police raids on pro-Gulen media outlets are seen as a prelude to suppressing the media opposed to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prior to the snap elections.

Turkey takes on the Islamic State ... in 40-page report

Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs has issued a 40-page report that condemns not just the Islamic State, but also "political Salafism."

European countries to Turkey: We pay, you keep Syrian refugees

Syrian refugees are the new ping-pong between EU countries and Turkey.

Police officers frisk an employee of the Koza Ipek Group during a raid at the company's office in Ankara, Turkey, September 1, 2015. Turkish police raided the offices of the conglomerate with close links to U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, an ally-turned-foe of President Tayyip Erdogan, company officials said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX1QKD8

Turkish daily exposes transfer of weapons to IS

The feud between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his rivals in the Gulen movement is turning up news: Is there a link between exposure and the police raid of newspaper offices?

A rebel fighter of al-Jabha al-Shamiya (the Shamiya Front) fires his weapon at the frontline against Islamic State fighters on the outskirts of Mare town, north of Aleppo March 24, 2015. REUTERS/Sultan Kitaz - RTR4UP7W

IS intensifies attacks outside Aleppo

After news broke of the US-Turkish plan to establish a safe zone in Syria, the Islamic State stepped up operations against opposition forces in Aleppo's northern countryside.

Turkey's 'foot-dragging' on fight against IS continues

Diplomats say Turkey’s sincerity will be judged by its determination to continue its active support of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State.

Iraqi Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani speaks during a ceremony in Dohuk, northern Iraq August 3, 2015. Barzani vowed to help the Yazidis return to their homes, after they fled from Islamic State last year. REUTERS/Ari Jalal - RTX1MWGL

The Iraqi Kurds' waning love affair with Turkey

Relations between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Regional Government look likely to deteriorate as Turkey escalates its war against the Kurdistan Workers Party.

Turkey’s protracted PKK problem

Although many Kurds do not like the leftist and secular agenda of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the PKK has shown great resilience, in part as the result of the fragmented Iraqi and Syrian states and political missteps by Turkey.

A woman sits at a money exchange office in central Istanbul, Turkey, June 8, 2015. The Turkish lira traded near a record lows on Monday as nervous investors reacted to the prospects of a minority or coalition government after the ruling AK Party failed to win a majority in a parliamentary election. The lira, already one of the worst performing emerging market currencies this year, hit a record low in out-of-hours trade on Sunday, after results showed the AKP had taken just short of 41 percent of the vote.

As Turkey's consumer confidence plummets, what does that mean for the AKP?

Turkey’s consumer confidence index — a key indicator that is closely correlated with the AKP’s electoral showings — is on the decline, signaling further losses for the party in the Nov. 1 early elections.

Masked members of YDG-H, youth wing of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), sit next to their weapons in Silvan, near the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, Turkey, August 17, 2015. The PKK has attacked military targets on a near-daily basis since the Turkish government launched air strikes on rebel camps in northern Iraq on July 25, wrecking a two-year-old ceasefire. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX1OICG

PKK looks to the future with creation of youth militias

Spiraling urban violence is spearheaded by the PKK’s young militias.

Yazidi students abandon Arabic script with eye toward Europe

Yazidi refugees in Turkey are struggling to restart their children’s education, and many are now learning the Latin alphabet with the hope of one day starting new lives in Europe.

Ankara needs to explain its turnaround in dealings with PKK

As confrontations persist between Turkish government forces and the Kurdistan Workers Party, the government has remained mum about the reasons for the breakdown of the Kurdish peace process.