Turkey wants PKK leader Ocalan to sway Kurdish-led SDF on joining Syria army Ankara seeks to leverage peace talks with PKK while renewing threats against the SDF. Turkey
Culture Turkey's women, LGBTQ artists top targets of Erdogan's drive for cultural hegemony From pop stars to performers, Turkey’s secular arts scene faces increasing pressure under Erdogan’s conservative push. Turkey
From F-35s to Ukraine: Erdogan-Trump talks signal reset, but sanctions obstacles remain The summit underscored both leaders’ personal chemistry while highlighting the limits of what the partnership can deliver. Turkey
Turkey’s Erdogan eyes F-35s, Kurdish concessions in White House talks with Trump Erdogan is pressing Washington for a return to the F-35 program and a rollback of US support for Kurdish forces, even as Congress signals resistance. Turkey
Exclusive UK-based oil firm victim of standoff between Damascus, Syria’s Kurds By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Syrian Kurdish groups deny responsibility for bloody Afrin bombing A truck explosion led to more than 50 deaths Tuesday in Turkish-controlled Afrin, Syria. Syria
Afrin truck bombing kills dozens in Syria The explosion during the holy month of Ramadan in the city controlled by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels killed at least 36 and wounded at least 40. Syria
Turkey grants Kurdish militants no peace, even in death In the long and devastating war between Kurdish rebels and the Turkish state, violations against the Kurdish fallen continue well past their deaths. Turkey
Turkish-backed rebels fight each other in Ras al-Ain, Syria Syrian rebel groups backed by Turkey clashed with each other in the border town they captured from Kurdish forces last year. Syria
Syriacs mark Easter in Turkey amid safety fears The indictment of a monk on terrorism charges and the mysterious death of an elderly woman has shaken one of the world’s oldest Christian communities as it celebrates Easter during the coronavirus pandemic. Turkey
Iraq condemns Turkish strikes against PKK in Kurdistan region Ankara claims it killed four PKK members in a Qandil mountains airstrike in Iraq northeast of Erbil, but Kurds report only physical damage there; Baghdad says Turkey did kill three civilians in Makhmour, to the southwest of Erbil. Iraq
A year after local polls, Turkey’s Kurds left with only third of gains Not even the coronavirus outbreak has slowed Ankara’s crackdown on local administrations held by Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party, which, many now fear, will continue until the last one is seized. Turkey
Archive Upfront from Mar 26, 2020 Turkey appears to want more than Syria’s oil Like Moscow and Washington, Ankara seems to be coveting the oilfields of Deir ez-Zor in Syrian Kurdistan, which Kurds fear would give Turkey an opening to take over the entire Rojava area. Syria
SDF calls for humanitarian truce in Syria amid coronavirus crisis Following the lead of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces call for a cease-fire in order for all warring parties to combat COVID-19 instead. Syria
Justice Department ordered Turkish TV station to register as foreign agent The decision came amid an intensifying push by the Donald Trump administration and Congress to get foreign media outlets to register. Qatar
Turkey’s geostrategic orientation at crossroads amid Idlib tangle Confusion prevails in Ankara on how to resolve the entangled Idlib crisis and the choices it will ultimately make could bear on its geostrategic orientations in the coming years. Syria
Erdogan turns to oil in a bid to salvage Syria policy Turkey’s president eyes oil-related bargains in Syria after failing to achieve his stated objectives in Idlib and acquiescing to a new deal with Russia in the rebel stronghold. Syria
