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Turkey

Turkey

April 25, 2026

Ankara 5:56 pm

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CORLU, TURKEY- MARCH 2: A B model of Bayraktar AKINCI TİHA (Assault Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) in the sky on March 2, 2022 in Corlu, Turkey. (Photo by Baykar Press Office/dia images via Getty Images)

Turkey’s Baykar tests K2 swarm kamikaze drones for first time: What to know

Baykar tested its K2 and new loitering drones, featuring AI-driven swarm capabilities and the ability to operate under GPS jamming.

US Ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack attends a meeting with President Donald Trump and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office at the White House on Sept. 25, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Trump envoy Barrack’s embrace of 'strong leaders' sparks fury in Turkey

Turkish opposition members say envoy Tom Barrack’s remarks praising “strong leaders” and monarchies undermine Turkey’s democratic tradition and embolden President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Members of Iraq's security forces stand guard on the the al-Rabia border crossing with Syria on April 20, 2026.

How Syria's border opening with Iraq redefines Turkey-Kurd balance

After years of closure, the reopening of al-Yaaroubiya crossing is redrawing Kurdish economic leverage and reinforcing Turkey’s regional strategy.

Latest News

Analysis

Italy’s TB3 drone deal signals turn toward Turkey amid US-NATO tensions

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shake hands during the press conference following their meeting at Villa Doria Pamphilj, on April 29, 2025, in Rome, Italy.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Is Syria’s Sharaa poised to outdo Turkey in formalizing gains for Kurds?

Kurdish people waving Kurdistan flags gather to celebrate Nowruz on the hill of Urkesh in the countryside of Amuda in northeastern Syria on March 18, 2026. Nowruz, meaning "new day," is an ancient festival that marks the start of spring and the new year on the vernal equinox, which usually falls on March 20 or 21. It is celebrated by more than 300 million people worldwide and has been observed for over 3,000 years across regions including the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus and parts of Eastern Euro

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

An undated image of Suat Toktas.

Turkey arrests journalist as clampdown on dissent tightens

The arrest of journalist Suat Toktas comes amid increasing pressure on dissidents from various backgrounds over the past weeks.

Ayse Barim

Turkey arrests prominent talent agent over 2013 Gezi protests

Ayse Barim’s arrest reflects a broader campaign to silence dissent, government critics say.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan gives a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart after their meeting in Baghdad on Jan. 26, 2025.

Defense ties, Syria top Turkey's Fidan visit to Saudi Arabia

The visit by Turkey's top diplomat aimed to strengthen regional cooperation on Syria and enhance defense ties between Ankara and Riyadh.

Residents walk through the rubble in the streets, in Al-Balad, Rafah, on January 20, 2025.

Analysis

As it eyes reconstruction role in Gaza, will Turkey remedy ties with Israel?

Turkey wants to increase its role in Gaza during the post-ceasefire process despite uncertainties and geopolitical complexities.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Ozlem Yenigul at “The Desire to Feel At Home Everywhere.” (Nazlan Ertan)

Culture

AL-Monitor Istanbul: Identity, belonging and the search for home

We take a thematic turn in this week’s newsletter, delving into migration, belonging and the idea of feeling at home.

DEM Party co-chair Tuncer Bakirhan (C) walks with party members and attendees during a rally organized by the pro-Kurdish Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party

PKK leader airs cautious optimism after talks with Turkey's pro-Kurdish party

The Kurdish militant leader expressed hope for a peaceful solution to the country’s 40-year armed conflict after four-hour talks with the pro-Kurdish party.

Newly confirmed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a swearing-in ceremony at the vice president’s ceremonial office at Eisenhower Executive Office Building Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Rubio and Fidan hold first call as Turkey's role expands in Syria

The congratulatory call comes as Ankara ramps up threats against the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Thousands of supporters of the Kurdish community demonstrate with flags and banners on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the arrest of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan on the banks of the Rhine river in Cologne, western Germany, on Feb. 17, 2024.

Turkey, Kurds move toward peace deal as lawmakers meet with PKK leader Ocalan

Talks with the jailed PKK leader spark hope for ending Turkey's 40-year conflict amid shifting alliances and regional pressures.

Mourners react during a funeral service for Sozcu newspaper columnist and journalist Nedim Turkmen, his wife and his two children killed during a huge fire in a ski resort hotel in Bolu, at Marmara University Faculty of Theology Mosque in Istanbul on Jan. 22, 2025.

Turkey: Death toll from ski resort blaze rises to 79

As officials continue to play the blame game, the number of people detained as part of the investigation into the disaster has increased to 11.

The fire at a hotel in Turkey’s northwestern province of Bolu at a 12-story wooden-clad hotel

Turkey declares national day of mourning after ski resort fire kills at least 76

The blaze struck a popular ski resort hotel, leaving dozens dead.

Burak Kara/Getty Images

Turkey’s Erdogan to discuss Russian gas supplies to Slovakia with Putin

The move comes after Ukraine shut down a pipeline that had long transited Russian gas to Central Europe.

A fighter of the the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army faction watches a plume of smoke erupt from bombardment at a position near the Tishrin Dam in the vicinity of Manbij, in the east of Syria's northern Aleppo province, on January 10, 2025 amidst ongoing battles with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The latest reported fighting comes despite the US on December 8 saying that it was working to address Turkey's concerns in Syria to dissuade the NATO ally from escalating an offensive against

Analysis

Disarmament and political shift: What Turkey would accept from Syria's SDF

The fall of the Assad dynasty has changed Turkey's calculus on how to deal with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security