Secrets and Lies: Turkey's Covert Relationship With ISIS MEIRA SVIRSKY, The Clarion Project  29 March 2016   With the aid of Turkish officials, Islamic State fighters' have been able to travel through Turkey to reach Syria (Photo: Video screenshot) While Turkey has arrested ISIS fighters planning an attack on Jewish children, new documents reveal the extensive collaboration between Turkey and ISIS.  A hot warning received by intelligence officials

Syrian Army, Allies Break Rebel Siege of Shi'ite Towns Roi Kais,Yedioth Internet  03 February 2016     Assad forces have broken a three-year rebel siege of two Shi'ite towns in northwest Syria, cutting off a main insurgent route to nearby Turkey. The Syrian army and its allies have broken a three-year rebel siege of two Shi'ite towns in northwest Syria, government and rebel groups said on Wednesday, cutting off a main insurgent route to

Turkey Moves to Clamp Down on Border, Long a Revolving Door By TIM ARANGO, New York Times 22 December 2015 Photo A Turkish Coast Guard searchlight exposed a boat carrying Syrian migrants. Turkey has been tightening its borders. Credit: Tolga Bozoglu/European Pressphoto Agency   IZMIR, Turkey — The Turkish Coast Guard has stepped up nighttime patrols on the choppy, wintry waters of the Aegean Sea, seizing rafts full of refugees fleeing war

The Return of War? Turkey's South-East Region Plunged into 'Worst Violence in Years' A military operation launched last week by the Turkish government against Kurdish rebels in the volatile region means the prospect of peace is even further away from realisation   Tanks and armoured personnel carriers have been used in the latest operation. Copyright 2015 Photo: @HDPenglish By Raziye Akkoc, Telegraph 20 December 2015 Turkey's troubled south-eastern

Suicide Bomber Kills 10 People, Mainly Germans, in Istanbul By AYLA JEAN YACKLEY, Reuters 12 January 2016 A suicide bomber thought to have crossed recently from Syria killed at least 10 people, most of them German tourists, in Istanbul's historic heart on Tuesday, in an attack Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu blamed on Islamic State. All of those killed in Sultanahmet square, near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia - major tourist sites in the center

Turkey’s Campaign Against Kurdish Militants Takes Toll on Civilians By Ceylan Yeginsudec, New York Times 30 December 2015   ISTANBUL — A major Turkish military operation to eradicate Kurdish militants in Turkey’s restive southeast has turned dozens of urban districts into bloody battlefields, displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians and shattering hopes of reviving peace as an old war reaches its deadliest level in two decades.

Russia Military's Actions in Syria Cause Rift with Turkey Tim Arango, New York Times 6 October, 2015   Image: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, right, with Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the  European Commission, in Brussels on Monday. CreditFrancois Lenoir/Reuters ISTANBUL — Russia’s bombing of rebel groups in Syria backed by Turkey and the incursions by Russian warplanes into Turkish airspace have undercut President Recep

Turkey Kurds: 30 dead in Cizre violence as MPs' march blocked BBC News 10 September 2015   Image: A delegation from the pro-Kurdish HDP set off on foot for Cizre on Wednesday after their route was blocked. Copyright AFP At least 30 people have died in clashes in the Turkish city of Cizre since a military operation began there last week, Turkey's interior ministry says. The ministry says most of the dead were Kurdish militants but the pro-Kurdish

A Kurdish Political Star in Turkey Confronts Escalating Violence Ceylan Yeginsu, New York Times 27 August 2015   Image: Selahattin Demirtas in his office in Ankara last month. He leads the Peoples' Democratic Party. Credit Monique Jaques for The New York Times   ANKARA, Turkey — Emerging from a daylong meeting with party officials, Selahattin Demirtas was anything but the dynamic Kurdish politician whose coolness and rhetorical skill

America’s Dangerous Bargain With Turkey Eric Edelman, New York Times 27 August 2015 Image: A demonstration against the Kurdistan Workers' Party on August 16 in Istanbul. Credit Ozan Kose/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images   WASHINGTON — AFTER a year of intense diplomatic negotiations, the Turkish government is now permitting the United States to use Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base, which will allow American aircraft to fly missions in Syria