The Turkish Tumblr

An aggregation of current news regarding ethnic and religious minorities in Turkey

[johnbrickley]

Turkey’s offensive is one of its largest military operations in years, with 10,000 troops backed by warplanes pursuing rebels in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq.

[johnbrickley]

The agreement came as thousands of Turkish troops began the second day of a major offensive against Kurdish rebels in southeastern Turkey and Iraq.

[johnbrickley]

A report issued Wednesday by the European Union criticized Turkey’s reaction to recent gas drilling conducted by Cyprus. The EU also granted Serbia candidate status on Wednesday but refused to set a date to begin formal talks.

[johnbrickley]

Turkey’s foreign minister offered his vision of a new order for the Arab world, where the country’s former allies in Syria and Israel fall into deeper isolation.

[johnbrickley]

[johnbrickley]

[johnbrickley]

[johnbrickley]

Turkey’s foreign minister offered his vision of a new order for the Arab world, where the country’s former allies in Syria and Israel fall into deeper isolation.

[johnbrickley]

Activists were held in a nationwide sweep tied to an investigation of insurgent attacks.

[johnbrickley]

[johnbrickley]

[johnbrickley]

The relationship between religion and the state, ever the sore spot of Turkish identity, is one of the most explosive issues of the debate over a new constitution.

[johnbrickley]

Turkish officials are assertively laying out a policy for the realignment of power in the region, with Istanbul anchoring a new era of political stability and economic integration.

[johnbrickley]

[johnbrickley]

[johnbrickley]

Turkey Determined to Battle Kurdish Rebels

Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz said Wednesday his country is determined to take any measure necessary to battle Kurdish rebels operating in northern Iraq.

Responding to questions about Turkey's alleged preparations for a cross-border offensive against the rebels, Yilmaz said, “whatever is necessary to fight terrorism will be done.”

Turkish Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin said Tuesday discussions with Iraq were under way regarding a land operation against the rebels, saying an attack could be launched “at any time.”

The outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, has escalated attacks against Turkish targets in recent weeks. On Sunday, Kurdish rebels attacked multiple police facilities in southeastern Turkey, killing at least five people.

Turkish forces have increased their airstrikes against suspected rebel bases in northern Iraq. Last month, Turkey's military said it killed as many as 160 Kurdish rebels in air and artillery strikes across the border.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Ankara's “patience is running out” with the rebels, who have waged a campaign for autonomy in the country's largely Kurdish southeast since 1984. The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people.

[johnbrickley]

An American of Armenian decent has filed suit against Turkey in California courts in the United States