Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Further Reading

• Turkey to thwart attempts to set up Kurdish state in Syria: Erdogan Press TV 22 Aug 2017 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has underlined Turkey's resolve to prevent any attempt by Syrian Kurdish fighters to establish a Kurdish state in northern Syria.
• US Defense Secretary to Visit Ankara Amid Rising Tensions VOA 22 Aug 2017 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is set to visit Ankara, Turkey in the coming days as part of a tour of the region. Mattis' visit comes as bilateral relations between the two NATO allies are strained over Washington's support of Syrian Kurds, whom Ankara considers terrorists.
• No joint anti-PKK operation with Turkey on agenda: IRGC Press TV 22 Aug 2017 -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has dismissed reports about plans for a joint operation with Turkey against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants outside the Iranian borders.
• Iran Denies Joint Operation Against Kurds With Turkey RFE/RL 22 Aug 2017 -- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has denied a claim by Turkey that the two countries were planning to conduct joint military operations against Kurdish rebel groups beyond the country's borders.
• Turkish Troops 'Neutralize' About 4,600 Daesh Militants in Syria, Iraq - PM Sputnik 21 Aug 2017 -- According to the Turkish prime minister, the country's forces has "neutralized" 4,600 Daesh terrorists in Syria and Iraq.
• Russia's Top General to Visit Ankara Amid Turkish US Tensions VOA 21 Aug 2017 -- Russia's armed forces chief staff, General Valery Gerasimov, is due to visit Turkey this week in the latest step in bilateral regional coordination efforts on Syria. Ahead of Gerasimov's visit, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusolgu took a swipe at NATO ally the United States, saying Russia better understood Turkey's concerns about the Syrian Kurdish rebel militia, the YPG.
• US Defense Chief to Visit Jordan, Turkey, Ukraine VOA 18 Aug 2017 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will travel to Jordan, Turkey and Ukraine next week for talks with the leaders of all three nations.
• Turkish Forces Kill Almost 60 PKK Fighters Within Past Week Sputnik 18 Aug 2017 -- Turkish security forces have killed 58 fighters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), banned in Turkey, within the past seven days, local media reported on Friday.
• Turkey arrests nine more journalists over alleged links to Gulen Press TV 17 Aug 2017 -- Turkey has arrested nine more journalists over their alleged links to the movement of US-based opposition figure Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for having masterminded a failed military coup last year.
• Turkey, Iran Voice Opposition To Kurdish Independence Vote In Rare Visit RFE/RL 17 Aug 2017 -- Turkey and Iran have voiced strong opposition to a referendum on Kurdish independence scheduled next month in neighboring Iraq during a rare visit to Ankara by Tehran's army chief of staff on August 16.
• Iran, Turkey agree to boost military cooperation: Official Press TV 17 Aug 2017 -- Iran and Turkey agree to forge closer military cooperation following talks in Ankara this week between the Iranian Armed Forces' chief of staff and senior Turkish officials, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman says.
• Iran eyeing border security deal with Turkey: IRGC IRNA 16 Aug 2017 -- Iran is seeking a proper agreement with Turkey on securing the shared borders and fighting terrorism, an Iranian military official said.
• Turkish Police Arrest 34 PKK Suspects Across Country Sputnik 15 Aug 2017 -- 34 people were detained in three Turkey's provinces over suspicion of having links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), according to local media.
• Iran's Top General Makes Rare Visit to Ankara VOA 15 Aug 2017 -- In a rare visit, the head of Iran's armed forces is in Turkey. The two neighbors have found themselves increasing rivals in Iraq and Syria, but both sides are trying to find common ground.
• PKK blast kills two civilians in Turkey's southeast Press TV 14 Aug 2017 -- A bomb blast blamed on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has claimed the lives of two Turkish civilians in the country's restive southeast.
• Turkey Opposition Leader's Arrest Feared VOA 14 Aug 2017 -- Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) is voicing alarm its leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu could face prosecution and jail in an ongoing crackdown in Turkey, which has seen more than a dozen parliament deputies jailed.
• Detention warrants issued for 35 media employees: State Media Press TV 10 Aug 2017 -- Turkish authorities have issued detention warrants for 35 journalists and media workers on suspicion of links to the movement of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of having masterminded a failed military coup last year.
• Great Wall of Turkey: Ankara Builds Massive Barrier Along Iranian Border Sputnik 10 Aug 2017 -- Turkish authorities have begun the construction of a huge wall along the border with Iran, claiming that this fortification is needed to protect the country against the Kurdistan Workers' Party.
• Turkey Restricts Border Crossing With Syria Due to Terrorist Threat - Minister Sputnik 10 Aug 2017 -- Turkey's Customs Minister Bulent Tufenkci said that Ankara put restrictions on the Turkish border crossing at Cilvegozu checkpoint due to seizure of Bab Al-Hawa checkpoint on the Syrian territory by a terrorist group.
• New Wave of Media Arrests in Turkey VOA 10 Aug 2017 -- In dawn raids, Turkish police enforced arrest warrants on 35 media workers, including journalists, in connection with last year's coup attempt. Local media reports say at least nine people were detained. The latest arrests add to the more than 150 reporters already jailed in a crackdown following the botched military takeover in July of last year.
• US, Turkey, KRG against Hashd Sha'abi inclusion in Tal Afar battle: Cmdr. Press TV 10 Aug 2017 -- A high-ranking commander of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) has described the United States and Turkey as the major parties opposed to the inclusion of the pro-government Iraqi forces in the forthcoming operation to liberate the northern city of Tal Afar from Daesh terrorists.
• Turkey continuing with construction of wall along Iranian border IRNA 08 Aug 2017 -- Turkish government has reportedly accelerated building a wall along the joint border with Iran.
• Turkey starts constructing wall along Iran border: Report Press TV 08 Aug 2017 -- Turkey has started building a wall along its border with Iran in parallel with the Turkish barrier along the Syrian frontier, a Turkish media report says.
• Turkey agrees to German MPs visit of air base: Berlin Press TV 08 Aug 2017 -- Turkey has agreed to let German lawmakers visit soldiers serving at an air base in southern Turkey next month after Ankara refused a visit there in July.
• Turkey Starts Building Wall on Iranian Border as Measure of Protection From PKK Sputnik 08 Aug 2017 -- The Turkish authorities launched construction of a wall along the country's border with Iran as part of the efforts to protect the territory from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed by Ankara as a terrorist organization, local media reported Tuesday.
• Berlin Thanks NATO for Organizing Visit to NATO Base in Turkey's Konya Sputnik 08 Aug 2017 -- The German Foreign Ministry expressed gratitude to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for organizing a visit of German lawmakers to a NATO base located in Turkey's Konya province, the ministry's spokesperson told Sputnik on Tuesday.
• Turkey Approves German Delegation's Visit to NATO Base in Konya Sputnik 08 Aug 2017 -- Ankara has approved the visit of German lawmakers to a NATO base located in Turkey's Konya province, media reported Tuesday; the approval was issued a month after the trip had been postponed.
• Turkey, Qatar wrap up joint military drill Press TV 07 Aug 2017 -- The Turkish and Qatari militaries have wrapped up a joint exercise, flaunting the two sides' alliance in the face of a Saudi-led onslaught targeting Doha.
• Turkey Hints at Military Operation Against Syrian Kurds VOA 07 Aug 2017 -- Turkey is building up military forces on the Syrian border, while Turkish President Recep Erdogan steps up his rhetoric suggesting an imminent military operation into Syria. Ankara is reportedly courting Moscow for its support for a possible operation into Syria's Afrin enclave, which is now under the control of the Kurdish YPG militia.
• New operations on Syrian soil imminent: Erdogan Press TV 06 Aug 2017 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned of upcoming operations on Syrian soil after the country bolsters its military presence on the border with its war-torn neighbor.
• Iran, Turkey, Qatar mull land route amid Saudi crisis Press TV 05 Aug 2017 -- Turkey seeks to establish a land route via Iran for trade with Qatar which has relied on both countries for sourcing food since a diplomatic crisis broke out with Saudi Arabia.
• Turkish military sends more munitions to Syrian border over alleged threats from YPG Press TV 05 Aug 2017 -- The Turkish military has reinforced its presence in the other side of the barbed wire border with Syria amid perceived threats from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), a major component of the US-backed militiamen from the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
• Under Erdogan, Turkey's Secular Traditions Recede VOA 04 Aug 2017 -- Turkey, once considered the model of an open, secular democracy in the Muslim world, now seems to be stuck in reverse. The government is cracking down on dissidents and erasing the line between religion and state in a country that has served as the bridge between East and West.
• Turkish Supreme Military Council replaces land, air and navy commanders Press TV 02 Aug 2017 -- Turkey's top military body has decided to replace the land, air and naval commanders of the military in the latest shake-up of the armed forces following last year's failed coup, which the Ankara government blames on US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.
• Turkey to Replace Army, Navy, Air Force Commanders VOA 02 Aug 2017 -- Turkey's top military body will replace its heads of the army, air force, and navy, Turkish media reported Wednesday.
• Qatar, Turkey to hold joint naval drills in Persian Gulf: Report Press TV 01 Aug 2017 -- Qatar says it is reportedly set to hold joint naval exercises with Turkey in the Persian Gulf waters as part of joint efforts to fight terrorism in the region.
• Turkey, Qatar Launch Massive Two-Stage Joint Military Drills Amid Gulf Row Sputnik 01 Aug 2017 -- A two-stage joint exercise, bringing together militaries of Turkey and Qatar started in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday as part of the 2014 bilateral security agreement, Turkish media reported.
• Turkey launches trial of some 500 coup suspects Press TV 01 Aug 2017 -- Turkey has launched the trial of about 500 individuals accused of leading a failed coup attempt last year, in the largest legal process in the country's modern history.