Analysis Kurds, Damascus step back from brink as SDF signs fresh deal with Syrian government After intense US-led diplomacy, Syria’s interim government and the Kurdish-led SDF agreed to a ceasefire and phased integration, averting all-out conflict. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Interview YPG spokesman: Syrian forces' strategy is to isolate Kurdish towns and cities In an interview with Al-Monitor, YPG spokesman Siyamend Ali said Kurdish forces were successfully repelling advances by the Syrian army, while Damascus accused the Kurds of launching unprovoked attacks. Siyamend Ali YPG spokesman
Turkey detains nurse over hair-braiding video in support of SDF Authorities say the nurse’s social media post amounted to terror propaganda, while critics argue that her symbolic protest falls under freedom of expression as tensions over Syria spill into Turkey’s fragile peace process. Turkey
Analysis Turkey’s Syria gains come with risks as Damascus pushes Kurdish integration Turkey has benefited from the Syrian government’s rollback of the Kurdish-led forces, but whether those gains translate into lasting security, refugee returns and domestic de-escalation will depend on political inclusion in Damascus. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Analysis Could US shift on Syria’s Kurds unlock progress with Turkey? By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Trump praises Syria's Sharaa after truce reached with SDF By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Turkish-backed Syrian forces intensify attacks on US-aligned Syrian Kurdish group The Turkish army and its allied Syrian factions have recently increased attacks against the Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria. Syria
Turkish opposition courts Kurds in trip to Erbil The Republican People’s Party, Turkey’s main opposition party, has sent a senior delegation to Iraq's Kurdistan Region, perhaps because popular elections have become difficult to win without Kurdish votes. Turkey
How far might Turkey, UAE reach in fence-mending bid? Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's reception of the UAE national security adviser has raised the prospect of a reset in acrimonious bilateral ties. Turkey
Turkish airstrike kills members of US-backed Kurdish force in Syria A Turkish airstrike has killed four members of a US-backed Syrian Kurdish force. Turkey
Turkey’s Sinjar strikes carry stern messages to Tehran, Baghdad As the United States braces to withdraw its combat forces from Iraq, the country’s Kurdistan Region is emerging as the scene of a mounting struggle for control between Turkey and Iran. Turkey
Turkish airstrikes claim Yazidi lives in Iraq’s Sinjar Turkish airstrikes hit makeshift hospital in the predominantly Yazidi Sinjar region of Iraq on Tuesday. Turkey
Turkey sees opportunity in Iran-West faceoff under Raisi Raisi’s hard-line approach may further sharpen disagreements between Ankara and Tehran over Syria and Iraq, but Ankara also sees new opportunities under the new Iranian leadership. Turkey
US sanctions on Turkey-backed Syria faction offer solace to Kurdish victims It remains to be seen what practical and immediate effect Wednesday's sanctions will have. Syria
Turkish soldier in Iraq killed fighting PKK The deadly attack took place in the autonomous Kurdistan Region near the Turkish border, and followed the deaths of two Turkish soldiers in Syria over the weekend. Iraq
Turkish-backed rebels leave trail of abuse, criminality in Syria’s Afrin The serene topography of the Syrian enclave of Afrin belies the power vacuum and violence now afflicting many of the territories under the control of Turkish-backed forces in the war-torn country’s northeast. Syria
US senator says Turkish actions against pro-Kurdish party like ‘if Biden banned the Republican Party’ Democratic and Republican senators voiced heavy criticism of the Turkish government to a State Department official during a Wednesday hearing. The lawmakers accused Ankara of abusing the international police system, being an “aggressor” toward Greece, and much more. United States
Erdogan's game plan for next election involves Kurdish vote As Erdogan’s dependency on Kurdish votes becomes more urgent, violence and other oppression against Kurds are on the rise. Turkey
