Tag: Turkey

UN urges Turkey to open borders, end to bombing of Aleppo

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — The United Nations urged Turkey to let in tens of thousands of Syrians fleeing a regime offensive around Aleppo on Tuesday, adding to calls for Russia to end air strikes ahead of fresh peace efforts. Up to 31,000 people have fled Aleppo and surrounding areas since last week, as government forces backed by Russian warplanes press an offensive that threatens to encircle the rebel-held eastern part of Syria’s second city. “The highest […]

Turkey’s Erdogan and Peru’s Humala sign bilateral accords

TURKISH President Tayyip Erdogan and Peruvian President Ollanta Humala signed bilateral accords on Tuesday (February 2) to increase bilateral economic and social cooperation. Accompanied by Peruvian Foreign Minister Ana Maria Sanchez and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, the two presidents held a private meeting at the Salon de Embajadores (Ambassadors’ Hall) in the presidential palace. The foreign ministers signed bilateral agreements for cooperation among the two countries’ Chambers of Commerce and official news agencies. The agreements […]

Islamic State ‘enjoyed Turkish money for oil’ – Israeli minister

Israel’s defence minister Moshe Yaalon said on Tuesday (January 26) that Islamic State militants had been funded with ‘Turkish money’, an assertion that could hinder attempts to mend fences between the two countries after years of estrangement. Yaalon said that the Turkish government wasn’t pulling their weight in the fight against “terrorism”. “Now it’s up to Turkey, the Turkish government, the Turkish leadership, to decide whether they want to be part of any kind of […]

People in Istanbul worry deadly blast could damage economy

Turks on Wednesday (January 13) were worried by the economic repercussions of a suicide bomb attack that killed at least 10 people, most of them German tourists, in Istanbul’s historic heart on Tuesday (January 13). All of those killed in Sultanahmet square, near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia – major tourist sites in the centre of one of the world’s most visited cities – were foreigners, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, blaming the […]

IS fires rockets at Iraq base used by Turkish troops

Islamic State militants fired rockets at a base in northern Iraq where Turkish troops are stationed on Wednesday ( December 160, as they launched a wave of attacks against Kurdish forces, officials said. The Turkish Armed Forces said in a statement its soldiers returned fire, and four had been lightly injured when katyusha rockets landed in their camp north of the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul. Turkey deployed around 150 troops in the Bashiqa area […]

US: Islamic State oil is going to Assad, some to Turkey

Islamic State militants have made more than $500 million trading oil with significant volumes sold to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and some finding its way to Turkey, a senior U.S. Treasury official said on Thursday. The United States, France, Britain and Russia have vowed to defeat Islamic State, which uses an extreme interpretation of Islam to justify attacks and brutality in large parts of Syria and Iraq that it controls. A U.S.-led […]

Russia confirms Turkey shot down Russian warplane on Syria border

Russian military general staff spokesman Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi confirmed on Tuesday night that Turkey shot down a Russian Su-24 warplane and that one of the pilots was killed by fire from the ground as he parachuted from the plane. The Turkish military said it shot down the Russian plane after it entered Turkish airspace and ignored 10 warnings from the Turkish side. Russia’s military denied the statement and said that, according to its investigation […]

Thousands attend rally in Ankara to mourn bombing victims

  Thousands of people gathered for a rally in Ankara on Sunday to mourn nearly 100 victims killed a day earlier in the worst terrorist attack in Turkey’s modern history. The rally took place at noon in the heart of the capital city of Turkey to condemn the twin suicide bombings that claimed at least 95 lives at Ankara train station. The casualty count is expected to rise as dozens of victims remain in intensive […]

Twin bombs kill at least in 95 in Turkish capital Ankara

UPDATED (Eagle News) — Twin explosions outside the main train station in the Turkish capital Ankara killed at least 95 people on Saturday (October 20) as hundreds gathered for a peace rally, in what government officials described as a terrorist attack. Ambulances rushed to the scene where bodies were lying scattered on the ground, while security forces evacuated the area as crowds of people gathered. At least 95 bodies were covered by flags and banners, […]

Turkey launches first ever air strike against IS as part of US-led coalition

AUGUST 30 (CCTV) — Turkish fighter jets on Friday night joined the U.S.-led coalition air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militant group targets in Syria for the first time, according to a written statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Saturday. The joint air strikes were conducted as part of a technical agreement between Turkey and the United States signed last week after months of talks. Turkey was previously reluctant to take part in […]

Turkey to inform NATO allies on fight against Islamic State

(Reuters) — Turkey will seek moral support for its campaign against militants in Syria and in Iraq at an emergency meeting on Tuesday (July 28) with its military allies, NATO said, playing down any idea that Ankara would call for help from the alliance. Turkey asked for urgent consultations with its 27 NATO partners in Brussels after Ankara intensified its role in the U.S.-led fight against Islamic State, also striking Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) camps […]

Islamic State disperses Syrians waiting to cross to Turkey

Armed Islamic State militants dispersed a large number of Syrians waiting to cross into Turkey at the Syrian border town of Tal Abyad on Saturday (June 13). The would-be refugees were made to pick up their belongings and move away from the border. Fighting near the border has already forced more than 13,000 people to cross into Turkey from Syria. Some 1,500 more are waiting to cross. A security source said Turkish soldiers sprayed water […]