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Turkey

April 26, 2026

Ankara 5:17 am

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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

Military honour guards stand next to the coffin of taxi driver Murat Arslan, the day after he was killed in an attack at a state-run aerospace industries building in Ankara, October 24, 2024.

Turkey says 2 PKK members behind TUSAS attack, ramps up airstrikes in Iraq, Syria

With funerals for victims underway, Turkish officials identified the attackers as operatives of the Kurdish militant group.

ANKARA, TURKEY - OCTOBER 23: Turkish Jandarma stand guard at the entrance to the Turkish Aerospace Industries facility following an attack on October 23, 2024 in Ankara, Turkey. An attack occurred at the Turkish Aerospace Industries facility in Ankara, with preliminary reports suggesting two attackers detonated an explosive device and opened fire at the entrance gate of the facility. (Photo by Serdar Ozsoy/Getty Images)

At least 7 killed, 22 injured in attack on Turkey’s defense company TUSAS

A series of explosions and gunshots were heard at TUSAS, Turkey’s state-run aerospace and defense company, in an attack Turkey’s defense chief blamed on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party.

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 (portrait on the placard at C) on the banks of the Rhine river in Cologne, western Germany, on February 17, 2024. Abdullah Ocalan, who founded the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) nearly half a century ago and has languished in solitary confinement on a prison island since 1999, is hailed as an icon by some Kurds but denounced by m

In shift, Erdogan's top ally says Ocalan’s life sentence can be reassessed if PKK disbands

Devlet Bahceli also suggested that the conditions of the militant leader’s life sentence without parole be reconsidered if he agrees to make such a call.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

How death of Fethullah Gulen, Erdogan's nemesis, could impact US-Turkey ties

The death of the infamous US-based preacher will likely impact US-Turkey relations after years of extradition disputes.

European Union flags fly outside the European Commission building in Brussels on April 12, 2024.

Turkey: Support for EU on rise as trust of US, China, Russia remains low

A recent survey reveals an increase in favorability for the EU and NATO in Turkey, while perceptions of the United States, China and Russia continue to falter.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands in front of a Eurofighter Tycoon combat aircraft as he speaks during a visit to the Bavarian plant of European aircraft maker Airbus in Manching, southern Germany, January 19, 2024.

Analysis

Can Turkey-Germany summit produce breakthrough on Eurofighter sale?

Eurofighters for Turkey are expected to top Olaf Scholz's meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara. A senior Turkish defense industry official told Al-Monitor that local production of some of the parts might be an option.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (center right) met with Hamas political leaders, including Shura Council head Mohammad Darwish (center left), in Istanbul on Oct. 18, 2024.

Turkey’s Fidan meets Hamas political leaders in Istanbul after Sinwar's killing

The meeting came a day after the killing of Yahya Sinwar, the militant group's leader, was confirmed and coincided with the top Iranian diplomat Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Turkey.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets KRG leader Nechirvan Barzani in Ankara, on Oct. 16, 2024.

Turkey’s Erdogan meets KRG President Barzani ahead of Iraqi Kurdistan vote

Barzani’s visit comes just amid Turkey's nascent attempt to use diplomacy, alongside ongoing military measures, to solve the 40-year-old Kurdish conflict.

MURTAJA LATEEF/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s FM Araghchi mobilizes against Israel in visits to Jordan, Egypt, Turkey

Iran’s foreign minister has paid visits to several countries in the region in the past weeks, with the latest stop taking him to Jordan, amid Israel’s expected retaliation for Iran's missile attack.

Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (L) and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar (R) speak to reporters outside the anthropological laboratory of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) in the United Nations buffer zone splitting the divided capital Nicosia on July 28, 2023.

As crisis cripples region, long-divided Cyprus' leaders meet in New York

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides are meeting with the UN chief Tuesday, but recent history inspires doubt about their ability to resume the negotiations.

Israeli security and emergency personnel cordon off the site of an explosion in Tel Aviv, on Aug. 18, 2024.

Israel says August Tel Aviv suicide attack planned by Hamas office in Turkey

The Shin Bet and Israel Police revealed that they arrested nine people suspected of involvement in the August Tel Aviv suicide bomber attack, allegedly carried out under instructions from Hamas' office in Turkey.

Turkish air force fighter jets perform a military parade over the Bosphorus as Camlica mosque is seen in the background to mark the 100th anniversary of Turkish Republic in Istanbul on Oct. 29,2023.

Erdogan’s AKP postpones bill to impose credit card fees to support Turkey’s defense

Plans to collect credit card fees in a bid to boost the defense industry are put on hold after a public backlash.