Politics
Türkiye playing ‘very positive role’ in helping unify Syria: US
The U.S. Central Command chief on Tuesday praised the role Türkiye has played in unifying Syria as the latter grapples with numerous challenges following over a decade of civil war.
Asked about ongoing efforts to integrate the northeast with the country’s leadership in Damascus, CENTCOM chief Gen. Michael Kurilla said the talks are “actually going well right now,” but acknowledged that there are “some sticking points” remaining.
“What’s happening is you have the Syrian Kurds are talking directly to (Syrian President Ahmed) al-Sharaa, and the Syrian government right now,” Kurilla said during testimony before the House Armed Services Committee.
One of Türkiye’s main priorities in Syria, following the fall of Bashar Assad in December and the coming to power of a new Syrian government, is the elimination of the PKK’s Syrian wing, the YPG, through its integration into the new national army.
A deal was signed in March by Syria’s interim president and Ferhat Abdi Şahin, code-named “Mazloum Kobani,” the ringleader of the YPG. Damascus shunned an open conflict with the YPG and sought a deal for their integration into the new Syrian army.
The YPG currently occupies one-third of Syria’s territory, including most of the country’s oil and gas fields. Türkiye, which suffered from cross-border attacks by the YPG, supported the Syrian opposition through military offensives in Syria’s north in the past decade and liberated parts of northern Syria from the YPG’s grip.
“Türkiye has played a very positive role in that. That is a big piece for the stability, in terms of that. I think they got to figure out how to run all of the administration of their country. They have a few people that are running the country right now. I am very concerned with the stability, but I think the fact that we are at the table now, having those discussions, the upside is great. The downside is very low to being at the table,” he added.
Asked if the U.S.’ train and equip mission for Syrian partners should be modified to include government forces, Kurilla said: “I think that would have to be a wait and see.”
“I think the fact that we’re at the table right now having this discussion, and that will allow us to make an assessment of that, if that would be a wise choice.”
Türkiye has urged Syria’s interim administration to address the YPG’s control over large parts of northern Syria and is currently closely monitoring the integration of the SDF into the Syrian government. Ankara is a major supporter of the al-Sharaa-led administration and also backs the March deal.
The issue strains Turkish-U.S. ties as Ankara warns its NATO ally against aiding terror elements that threaten its national security, something Washington continues to do despite promising to remove the group from the Turkish border area.
Israel has released two Turkish activists who were detained aboard a boat attempting to breach Israel’s deadly blockade of the Gaza Strip, Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said Thursday.
Yasemin Acar and Suayb Ordu have left Israel on a flight out of Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, the sources said.
Acar, a German citizen, and Ordu were among 12 passengers, including climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, aboard the Madleen, a boat that sought to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of aid. Israel seized the vessel in international waters on Monday and deported Thunberg and three others the following day.
Six more activists were deported on Thursday, and the last two activists are expected to be deported on Friday, according to Adalah, a local human rights group representing them.
It said the activists were subjected to “mistreatment, punitive measures and aggressive treatment, and two volunteers were held for some time in solitary confinement.”
Israeli authorities declined to comment on their treatment. Israel says it treats detainees in a lawful manner and investigates any allegations of abuse.
Israel portrayed the voyage as a media spectacle, dubbing it the “selfie yacht.”
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organized the journey, said it was aimed at protesting Israel’s blockade of Gaza and ongoing military campaign there, which experts say has pushed the territory to the brink of famine more than 20 months into its brutal war on Gaza.
Deputy Foreign Minister Mehmet Kemal Bozay and his Greek counterpart Alexandra Papadopoulou met Thursday in Ankara as part of an ongoing political dialogue process.
The Foreign Ministry released a joint statement following the fourth round of the political dialogue meetings between the deputy foreign ministers.
According to the statement, the two officials discussed various aspects of bilateral relations, and evaluated developments in bilateral ties since the last meeting, as part of preparations for the upcoming 6th High-Level Cooperation Council planned to be held in Türkiye.
Bozay and Papadopoulou also exchanged views on current regional and international issues.
The meeting was held in a positive atmosphere, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to strengthening cooperation at both the bilateral and international levels, according to the statement.
After a long period of tensions marked by disputes over irregular migration, the Cyprus dispute, energy exploration and territorial sovereignty in the Aegean, Ankara and Athens have been taking confidence-building steps for a fragile normalization of their relations since late 2023.
Türkiye, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, rejects the maritime boundary claims of Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, arguing their excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of both Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriots in the region.
Security forces have busted a gang smuggling migrants from Türkiye to Italy as a result of four-month-long efforts as part of the country’s fight against irregular migration.
Twenty-three suspects of the gang, led by M.K., were caught by operations carried out by the Çanakkale police and gendarmerie after works coordinated by the Çanakkale public prosecutor’s office.
The operations were carried out in Italy, Çanakkale, the Saros bay and Tekirdağ between May 2 and 31, where 376 irregular migrants and seven suspects were caught.
It was determined that the criminal organization gained approximately TL 309.4 million liras ($7,873,743.62) of unjust profit from these activities.
On June 2, simultaneous operations were conducted in Istanbul, Izmir, Tekirdağ and Kars. Eighteen suspects were detained, and three boats and 11 vehicles were seized.
One of the targeted individuals, A.B., was caught in a forest area in the Burhanlı village of Gelibolu, along with 27 irregular migrants who were being held to be sent to Italy.
It was determined that A.D., one of the detained suspects, was wanted for nine separate migrant smuggling crimes with a total of 19 years and one month of finalized prison time.
Two of the 18 suspects detained were released by the prosecutor’s office and 16 suspects were arrested.
The Çanakkale-centered operations come a day after the Interior Ministry had announced that another 273 migrant smugglers had been caught in operations across 51 provinces in Türkiye, as authorities have sped up efforts to combat the phenomenon.
Türkiye once hosted two-thirds of the world’s total Syrian refugee population. At its peak, there were more than 3.8 million Syrian refugees in Türkiye.
Some preferred to cross into Europe illegally in pursuit of better lives. In the early years of the Syrian civil war, Türkiye housed thousands of refugees in tent camps and container cities in its southeastern towns, but over time, most refugees settled elsewhere, setting up new lives, particularly in big cities in western Türkiye.
Türkiye boosted security at its land borders and increased coast guard patrols amid the influx, especially in the Aegean Sea, where Türkiye and Greece, the main gateway to Europe for migrants, are littoral.
Some migrants make the dangerous journey over land or sea with the assistance of smugglers, who often abandon them, especially during sea journeys, after receiving thousands of dollars from each migrant. Others are stopped by Turkish security forces before crossing the border into Europe.
In some cases, neighboring Greece is accused of pushing back migrants in a controversial practice. In the Aegean Sea, Greek coast guard boats often drive out approaching migrant boats to the Greek islands.
Over the past five years, 105,437 migrants were intercepted in Turkish seas and rescued by the Coast Guard Command as they headed into rough seas that have claimed many lives over the years.
The Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) on Wednesday announced it would pay an upcoming visit to the island prison Imrali in the Marmara Sea, where PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan is jailed.
“As the DEM Party, we prepare to go to Imralı Island in the shortest time possible. With a delegation including our co-chairs and MYK members, we prepare to explain to him (Öcalan), understand this period and organize more strongly through meeting with him directly and discuss issues,” party spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan said during the Central Executive Committee (MYK) meeting.
“It is highly likely that Öcalan will in the upcoming days meet with different political party leaders,” she added. “We also know that Öcalan would like to meet Masoud Barzani, Nechirvan Barzani, Mazloum Abdi, Qubad Talabani and Bafel Talabani, and we believe it will be useful.”
Doğan also said that one of her party’s most important agendas is the establishment of a parliamentary working commission for the terror-free Türkiye initiative.
Reminding that Parliament will enter summer recess soon, Doğan said: “Facing such a historical responsibility, holidays cannot be an excuse. Therefore, as the DEM Party, we invite Mr. Kurtulmuş to take an initiative before the recess.”
She also indicated that preparations on how the commission will function are ongoing, while other political parties are similarly expecting the process to proceed under the auspices of the parliament.
Türkiye has been battling the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union – for four decades. Following intensified security operations in recent years, Ankara sees the current moment as a turning point.
The initiative for a terror-free Türkiye was launched by government ally Devlet Bahçeli, head of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), who called on the PKK’s jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan to appeal to the PKK to lay down arms last year.
Soon, his call evolved into a new initiative that saw DEM Party lawmakers visiting Öcalan in the island prison where he is incarcerated in the Marmara Sea. As a result and in a landmark development, the PKK last month announced its dissolution and the end of its four-decade terror campaign that cost tens of thousands of lives in Türkiye, as well as in Iraq and Syria.
Anti-Muslim attacks and discrimination cases in Berlin rose by nearly 70% in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to a new report by Germany’s Alliance Against Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Hate (CLAIM).
The group recorded 644 incidents targeting Muslims in the German capital last year, ranging from verbal abuse to institutional discrimination in schools, workplaces and housing.
“This new annual report paints an alarming picture for our city,” said Rima Hanano, co-director of CLAIM, at a press conference in Berlin. “There are now almost two anti-Muslim incidents occurring every day in Berlin.”
Hanano stressed that Muslim women were disproportionately affected, accounting for approximately 64% of cases where the gender was known. Many were reportedly accompanied by children at the time of the incidents.
The report also notes that the actual number of cases is likely much higher, as many victims choose not to report their experiences due to fear or lack of trust in authorities.
The spike in attacks follows the Oct. 7 escalation in the Middle East, with Hanano drawing parallels to previous patterns of backlash against Muslims after terrorist incidents in Germany. “These events tend to trigger a surge in anti-Muslim racism, amplified by political and media narratives that often portray Muslims as a security threat,” she said.
She warned that this narrative creates a climate of suspicion, emboldening individuals to act on their prejudices. “It is particularly disturbing that even children and teenagers are now facing verbal and physical assaults in public spaces,” she added.
With over 84 million people, Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France. Among the country’s nearly 5 million Muslims, 3 million are of Turkish descent.
Civil society organizations are urging the government to implement stronger protections and proactive policies to address rising Islamophobia.
Türkiye has taken diplomatic initiatives to initiate criminal proceedings against the perpetrators and provides legal support to Turkish citizens facing attacks.
While officials explained to decision-makers and the public in countries where the attacks took place that the offenses have nothing to do with freedom of thought, diplomatic efforts are being made to criminalize Islamophobic actions and find a permanent solution.
Türkiye has also taken initiatives on multilateral platforms in 2023, leading efforts against Islamophobia with organizations such as the U.N., the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the OIC and the Council of Europe.
Nine suspects were caught in an operation against the Daesh terrorist organization in Istanbul on Thursday.
In the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, 15 suspects were identified who were determined to have joined Daesh, were determined to have made organizational propaganda on social media, were wanted with a red notice by Interpol and were considered to be “foreign terrorist fighters.”
Nine of the suspects were caught by police teams, while efforts to search for the remaining six are ongoing.
The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) thwarted the terrorist group’s efforts for recruitment, obtaining funds and logistics support after its latest operation in the aftermath of a church shooting in Istanbul in January 2024.
Daesh remains the second biggest threat of terrorism for Türkiye, which faces security risks from multiple terrorist groups and was one of the first countries to declare it a terrorist group in 2013.
In December last year, Turkish security forces detained 32 suspects over alleged links with Daesh, who were planning attacks on churches and synagogues, as well as the Iraqi Embassy.
Terrorists from Daesh and other groups, such as the PKK and its Syrian wing, the YPG, rely on a network of members and supporters in Türkiye.
Turkish authorities have ordered the freezing of millions of lira worth of assets since 2013 to crack down on terrorism financiers in line with United Nations sanctions.
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