Tag: Turkey

Turkey assault could displace 400,000 in Syria: UN

  GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Turkey’s deadly assault on Kurdish positions in northeastern Syria has forced 130,000 people to flee their homes, the UN said Sunday, adding it was preparing for that figure to more than triple. “We have moved into a planning scenario where up to 400,000 people could be displaced within and across the affected areas,” Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA told AFP in an email, adding that […]

Turkey vows to keep up Syria assault as US says troops came under fire

  by Nazeer al-Khatib with Delil Souleiman in Tall Tamr Agence France Presse RAS AL-AIN, Syria (AFP) — Battles raged in Syria as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to press on with a deadly assault against Kurdish forces, while the Pentagon said Friday US troops came under artillery fire from Turkish positions. Erdogan’s pledge to keep up the offensive, which the UN says has displaced more than 100,000 people since it began on Wednesday, […]

Civilians flee as Syria Kurds battle Turkish invasion

by Delil Souleiman TALL TAMR, Syria (AFP) — Syria’s Kurds battled to hold off a Turkish invasion on Thursday as thousands of civilians fled airstrikes and shelling that deepened fears of a humanitarian crisis. US President Donald Trump tried to justify the de facto green light he gave his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for an assault seen as a blatant betrayal of Washington’s erstwhile Kurdish allies. Later Trump suggested that Washington could mediate between […]

Turkey within Trump red line, US seeking ceasefire: official

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Turkey’s assault on Syrian Kurdish forces has not breached a red line declared by President Donald Trump, a US official said Thursday, as he added that Washington wanted to broker a ceasefire. Trump, in a week of mixed messages, initially voiced understanding for Turkey before criticizing the offensive and warning of sanctions if the operation is not “humane.” Asked to define what actions would violate Trump’s vague warning, the US […]

UN chief expresses ‘deep concern’ over Turkish offensive in Syria

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AFP) — The UN secretary-general on Thursday expressed “deep concern” and called for a “de-escalation” of the spiralling violence in Syria, a day after Turkey launched an offensive in Kurdish-controlled areas. “I want to express my deep concern about the escalation of conflicts we are witnessing in eastern Syria,” Antonio Guterres told a press conference in Copenhagen. “At the present moment what we must do is to make sure that we have a […]

Turkey boosts troops on Syria border after operation threat

AKCAKALE, Turkey (AFP) — Turkey on Tuesday sent more armored vehicles to the border with Syria, an AFP correspondent said, after the defense ministry said Ankara was ready for a cross-border offensive. Dozens of vehicles made up a large convoy seen by the correspondent in the town of Akcakale in Sanliurfa province. Different types of construction equipment were also part of the convoy which had been sent to reinforce the military units on the border, […]

Updated: 5.7-magnitude earthquake shakes Istanbul, injures eight

  ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — A 5.7-magnitude earthquake shook Turkey’s largest city on Thursday, driving residents to evacuate buildings, AFP journalists witnessed. Eight people were “lightly injured”, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a press conference in Istanbul. “Some buildings have been lightly damaged,” he added. Istanbul’s Bogazici University Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute said the quake’s centre was in the town of Silivri, around 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of the city. It said the […]

Bomb explodes injuring five in southern Turkey: state media

ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — Five people were injured Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded as a bus carrying police drove by in the southern Turkish province of Adana, state media reported. The blast in Adana was either an “improvised explosive device or a different type of bomb”, the governor, Mahmut Demirtas, told Anadolu news agency. One of those hurt was a police officer, he said, but the casualties did not suffer serious injuries. The other […]

Erdogan’s party loses re-run of Istanbul mayor election

by Fulya OZERKAN ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suffered a bruising defeat on Sunday as the opposition candidate in Istanbul’s controversial mayoral election re-run romped to victory. Ekrem Imamoglu had won the first mayoral vote in March by a slim margin of 13,000 votes over Erdogan’s chosen candidate, Binali Yildirim, who contested the results and a new election was ordered. After being stripped of that victory over disputed claims of fraud, […]

Erdogan welcomes controversial re-run of Istanbul vote

by Fulya Ozerkan with Raziye Akkoc in Ankara ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday welcomed in order to re-run the recent Istanbul election, a move the opposition has branded an attack on democracy. His ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost the mayorship of Turkey’s biggest city by a narrow margin and has refused to accept defeat. “We sincerely believe there was organized corruption and irregularities,” Erdogan told party members […]

Erdogan party appeals Istanbul, Ankara results after Turkey vote

by Gokan GUNES ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP on Tuesday appealed against results in Istanbul and Ankara following a weekend election after tallies showed the ruling party lost both key cities. Erdogan’s AKP and coalition partner won more than 50 percent of votes nationwide in Sunday’s local ballot, but defeat in both Turkey’s capital and its economic hub would be a setback after the party’s decade and a half in […]

Stunning upset as President Erdogan’s AKP party suffers defeat in Turkey’s two main cities

  by Raziye Akkoc / Luana Sarmini-Buonaccorsi Agence France Presse ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party suffered a major upset on Monday after local election results showed it lost the capital Ankara and Istanbul after a decade and half in power. Losing the country’s two major cities would be a stunning defeat for Erdogan, a former Istanbul mayor himself, whose ability to win at the ballot box has been unparalleled […]