Turkey shot down Russian bomber over Syria

Breaking Bad? Erdogan's 'Willful' Foreign Policy 'Bemuses' Turkey's Allies

http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160304/1035761456/turkey-erdogan-su24-russia.html

Recep Tayyip Erdogan does not seem to have many foreign policy achievements to boast since in the last decade his strategies have badly affected Turkey's relations with Israel, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Iran, Russia and the United States, Turkey's Radikal newspaper asserted, adding that Ankara's troubles are likely to multiply.

"The downing of a Russian aircraft on November 24, 2015, has damaged Turkey's relations with Russia to an extent that the bilateral ties could hardly be improved," the liberal daily observed. The incident took place at a time when Moscow became Ankara's major economic partner. "Bilateral trade turnover reached $30 billion. Approximately 4 million tourists from Russia visited Turkey annually".

These positive developments have been brought to nothing after a Turkish fighter jet shot down the Russian Su-24 bomber out of the Syrian skies, citing airspace violations. Russian officials and the pilot confirmed that the plane, which was on an anti-Daesh mission in northern Latakia, never crossed into Turkey and did not receive any warnings.

"Both sides should make an effort to restore relations to their previous level, but Turkey has sustained a far greater loss," Radikal noted. "Moreover, this situation has affected and will have a larger impact on Turkey's relations with other post-Soviet countries."

Some might have hoped that in this context Ankara's standing in the North Atlantic Alliance would improve, taking into account a cold spell in NATO's relations with Russia. But other bloc members do not seem to be eager to deal with Turkish-Russian row.

In February, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn sent Erdogan a clear signal that the alliance would not support Turkey, should it spark a war with Russia. He told Germany's Der Spiegel that the bloc could not "allow itself to be pulled into a military escalation with Russia" as a result of recent tensions.

"Evidently, Turkey's willful foreign policy bemuses even its allies, particularly the United States. Almost all high-level bilateral talks end with both sides agreeing to disagree on major international issues," the media outlet noted.

In general, Ankara's partners view the country as less reliable and predictable. Former Turkish ambassador to the UK Ünal Ceviköz recently echoed this sentiment in an interview with the Today's Zaman newspaper.

"In the eyes of the international coalition, in the eyes of the United States, Turkey will probably no longer be seen as an asset but as a liability," he lamented. "It has lost its honest broker position to resolve problems in the region."

These are not the only troubles Ankara has to deal with, the daily warned. With Iran's gradual return to the international arena and the unresolved Kurdish issue, "foreign policy dilemmas which Turkey is facing are growing like a snowball."
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Turkey Prohibits Helicopter With German Defense Minister From Landing
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/03/turkey-prohibits-helicopter-with-german.html

The Turkish authorities have not allowed a helicopter with the Minister of Defence of Germany, Ursula von der Leyen, to land at the airport of the city of Mytilene on the Greek Island of Lesbos. According to TV channel Skai, Erdogan's government explained the decision by saying that it is a demilitarized zone, and therefore flying a military helicopter is impossible.

Frau von der Leyen was planning on visiting the island on March 6th to personally assess the situation of the refugees, and then, via a NATO helicopter, fly to the German ship "Bonn" in the waters of the Aegean sea. Now the head of the German Defense will have to adjust her plans.

By the way, this is not the first time when the notorious Turkey has protected its airspace, or even objected to leading figures of the world using its airspace. Earlier, a private plane was denied flight over the territory of the Republic of Turkey with the Prime Minister of Greece, Alexis Tsipras, who was travelling to Iran.


Turkish Army Continues Shelling Kurds in Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941215001343

The Turkish army's artillery units shelled the positions of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) near the city of al-Qamishli near the border with Turkey in Northern Hasaka province.

The Kurdish community has longed been warning that the Turkish artillery is providing support for the ISIL terrorists.

"More than 10 people, mostly women and children, have been killed over the past day. A group of up to 100 gunmen trespassed from Turkey into Syria near the city of Raqqah," Farkhat Patiyev, chairman of the Council of the Federal National-Cultural Autonomy said.

"They were supported by artillery fire from Turkey. By morning on February 28, Kurdish self-defense forces managed to drive the gunmen from the town of Tal Abyadh. However, the ban on movement is still in place for civilians for security reasons. Combat operations are not over," he added.

The YPG Kurds have recently bonded with the Damascus government. The Syrian army sent several arms cargoes to the YPG troops in the Northeastern province of Hasaka and trained the first group of Kurdish volunteer forces in the provincial capital city of Hasaka last month.
 
Tear Gas, Water Cannon: Turkish Police Raid Zaman Newspaper in Istanbul (RT Video)
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160305/1035809212/tear-gas-water-cannon-turkish-police.html

Late Friday, police entered the Zaman newspaper building in Istanbul, firing tear gas at protesters gathered outside.

​Protests followed a court ruling on Friday that the high-circulation newspaper would be taken over by government-run administrators. The court’s decision came with no explanation.

The seized newspaper, Zaman Daily, is closely linked to the Hizmet movement of the influential US-based cleric, Fethullah Gulen.

Turkey has designated Hizmet a terrorist organization, claiming that the group aims to topple President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government. Hizmet's leader, Gulen, was once a close Erdogan ally.

The protesters denounced the state takeover of Zaman press. One protester carried a placard stating, “We will fight for a free press.” The peaceful protesters were quickly shot with a water cannon and tear gas by Turkish police in an attempt to force them to disperse.

In response to the country’s planned seizure of the media outlet, a spokesperson for Zaman commented earlier Friday that Turkey is going through its “darkest and gloomiest days in terms of freedom of press.” The editor-in-chief declared that the move by the Turkish government represented nothing short of “the practical end of media freedom in Turkey.”

The US State Department maintains that Turkey is a valued ally of the United States and a critical partner in the war against Daesh and other terrorist organizations.

On Friday, however, State Department spokesperson John Kirby said the takeover is “the latest in a series of troubling judicial and law enforcement actions taken by the Turkish government.”

Kirby went on to say that the United States "does not think these actions are in keeping with the healthy democratic values that are enshrined again in Turkey's own constitution."



Video: Turkish military helicopter shot down by Kurds in North Iraq – reports
http://rinf.com/alt-news/multimedia/video-turkish-military-helicopter-shot-down-by-kurds-in-north-iraq-reports/

Reports have emerged that Iraqi Kurds have shot down a helicopter, which they say was used in airstrikes against them.
 
The Burden of Russian Sanctions: Turkey Gripped by 'Ballooning' Bad Loans

http://sputniknews.com/world/20160306/1035853233/turkey-sanctions-bad-loans.html

The sanctions Moscow slapped on Ankara, as well as a plummeting number of Russian tourists, have added significantly to a rise in the number of bad loans in Turkey, according to expert Constantine Courcoulas.

Turkey remains in the clutch of ever-increasing bad loans which were caused by the Russian sanctions and the shrinking tourist visits from Russia, Istanbul-based emerging markets specialist Constantine Courcoulas wrote in an article for the US news agency Bloomberg.

In his article "Ballooning bad loans in Turkey seen worsening as tourists flee," Courcoulas recalled that the country has already been afflicted by an unprecedented increase in bad loans, according to this week's data from the Ankara-based Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency.

"The nation's lenders' non-performing loans climbed to 3.18 percent of total credit in January, the sixth straight monthly increase and the highest proportion in almost five years," Courcoulas said.

He specifically pointed to deepening corporate distress in Turkey, which he said "makes it harder for companies to pay down debts."

"The rise in bad loans is compounding the challenges facing Turkey's $814 billion banking industry as a combination of currency depreciation, Russian sanctions and waning tourist visits," Courcoulas pointed out.

He quoted Apostolos Bantis, a Commerzbank credit analyst in Dubai as saying that "the trend is likely to increase and intensify."

"While I don't see the situation running out of control, the impact of Russian sanctions and the blow to the tourism industry… will all take a toll on the corporate sector," Bantis said.

He was echoed by Cagdas Dogan, an analyst at BGC Partners in Istanbul, who warned of the far-reaching consequences of Russian sanctions and scarce tourist visits, according to Courcoulas.

"The worst may not be over for the industry, as tourism companies will contribute to a deepening of the bad-loan quandary," Dogan said.

Russia imposed sanctions on Turkish goods, air travel, and employment contracts following Ankara's decision in November 2015 to shoot down a Russian Su-24 jet which Ankara claimed violated Turkish airspace.

In January, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said that the country will lose $3.1 billion worth of trade in 2016 due to Russian economic sanctions.

Earlier, Ankara appealed to the World Trade Organization, arguing that the sanctions allegedly violate trade rules. Moscow responded by saying that its economic actions are fully within the framework of the WTO rules.
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Accused Erdogan Jr hides in Istanbul?
http://www.pravdareport.com/news/business/04-03-2016/133732-erdogan-0/

Son of the Turkish President Erdogan Bilal is accused of financial schemes by the Italian prosecutor. Il Resto del Carlino has reported that he fled Italy and returned to Istanbul.

Bilal came to Bologna about a year ago to write a doctoral thesis at the Johns Hopkins University. On 8 January 2014 the Turkish opposition claimed about Erdogan's relatives' complicity in corruption at the upper echelons of power. In particular, opposition demanded to check contacts of Bilal with a businessman from the Saudi Arabia Yasin al-Qadi.

A file was opened given a claim of the Turkish entrepreneur Hakan Uzan, a political oppositionist, who lives in France. According to him, Erdogan junior brought a large sum of money with him to Italy, which had been obtained as a result of illegal actions, allegedly oil trade with al-Qaeda. The Turkish media released photos of Bilal Erdogan meeting with the Saudi businessman in one of the Istanbul hotels in front of government security.



Erdogan turns Turkey into zone of instability and dictatorship
http://www.pravdareport.com/world/asia/turkey/01-03-2016/133691-erdogan_turkey-0/

Turkish President Recep Erdogan expressed his insubordination to the Turkish Constitutional Court. Will Erdogan eliminate those who disagree with him? He is confidently taking his country to destruction.

Chief editor of the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet, Gian Dündar, and journalist Erdem Gul published an article that proved Turkey's participation in arms supplies to ISIL in Syria. The shipments of arms were conducted in January 2014 and were exposed during inspections of the trucks of Turkish security forces on their way to the Turkish-Syrian border.Erdogan assessed the journalistic investigation as an act of espionage that was committed to undermine Turkey's international image. Erdogan promised that Dündar would have to pay "a high price" for the report.

The journalists were arrested and kept in prison for three months. Turkey's Constitutional Court ruled that, in accordance with Articles 19, 26 and 28 of the Turkish Constitution, the rights of citizens Dündar and Gul to liberty and security were violated. Erdogan ignores Turkish Constitution.

"I do not respect to the ruling. I'm not going to abide by it. The [14th Istanbul Criminal] Court could have insisted on its original ruling [when it arrested the journalists] and avoided the Constitutional Court's ruling. Then they [Dündar and Gül] would have been able to go to the European Court of Human Rights. This whole process is not right at all," Erdogan said. The above statement exposes Erdogan as a dangerous dictator.

The Constitutional Court is the supreme judicial authority of Turkey that remains outside Erdogan's power. Most of the judges were appointed during the time of Erdogan's predecessors.

"The president can not ignore the Constitution. If he says such things, it clearly implies that he does not respect the current constitutional order in the country either. He also encourages people not to respect the Constitution and judicial decisions," deputy chairman of the main opposition Republican People's party (CHP) Sezgin Tanrikulu told todayszaman.com.

The two journalists were released from prison, but they are still awaiting trial. The indictment stipulates for life imprisonment and 30 years of imprisonment on charges of espionage and assistance to the armed terrorist organization.Interestingly, we do not hear the Western media defending the Turkish journalists. The EU's Foreign Policy Office welcomed the ruling of the Turkish court as a necessary step in the right direction to guarantee freedom of speech in Turkey. Simple as that. Neither EU nor US officials have commented on the reaction from the Turkish President.

In the West, democracy is just a word Does that seem to be surprising? Not at all. In the West, democracy is just a word. How can Western leaders criticize a member of the US-led coalition against ISIL? This would mean that the whole coalition works for ISIL. How can they criticize a NATO member? NATO's reputation has been tarnished by its operations in the Middle East. Yet, the US could put pressure on Recep Erdogan by targeting his son's business.

Prosecutors of the Italian city of Bologna suspect "Daesh oil minister" Bilal Erdogan of money laundering. The Americans do have an opportunity to put financial pressure on Erdogan, but they are not doing it. How so? Dündar said that the EU is betraying its democratic values to be closer to the Turkish president in a hope that Erdogan will be able to stop the flow of refugees to Europe. If one needs to violate human rights for this objective - this is not a problem at all. "We have always looked up to the EU as a model to improve democracy, but not dictatorship in Turkey, - the journalist said. - Now, we can see the EU turning a blind eye on violations of the norm of democracy in Turkey.

The EU betrays its principles for the sake of short-term interests. "Are there any democratic values in the European Union at all? The moral decline of Europe has been a piece of grim reality lately. "There is a civil war with the Kurds unfolding in the south-east of Turkey, - Vladimir Avatkov, Turkologist, Director of the Center of Oriental Studies, international relations and public diplomacy told Pravda.Ru. - The Turkish Republic is using military hardware to destroy them. It appears that the Kurds are trying to find their place in the new Constitution given the fact that Turkey will hold a constitutional reform soon.

"However, the Turkish authorities made it clear that there would be no autonomy and no federal system. Erdogan became an independent figure and started running aggressive foreign policies that may not suit the West because his policy can be unpredictable. The US supported the ceasefire in Syria, having thus sent a clear message to Turkey not to interfere in the affairs of other states and peoples. Turkey has been turning into the zone of instability," the expert told Pravda.Ru.
 
Turkey's seized paper publishes pro-Erdogan edition

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/03/06/454145/Turkey-Zaman-Erdogan-Gulen-Kurd/

Turkey’s opposition newspaper, Zaman, has switched to pro-government line after its seizure by authorities.

The Zaman newspaper, a longtime critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, printed on Sunday its first new edition since its management board was changed by an Istanbul court.

In one corner of the front page, Erdogan is seen holding the hand of an elderly woman and the newspaper announces the president is due to host a reception for women on women's day.

The front page also contained images of the funerals of "martyrs" killed in the military clashes with Kurdish militants in the southeast and headlined an ambitious three-billion-dollar government project to connect Asian and European sides of Turkey's mega city Istanbul by a third bridge.

Police on Friday raided the Istanbul premises of the Zaman newspaper using tear gas and water cannon to enter the building in order to impose a court order placing the media business under administration.

Gulen fled to the United States in 1999 after the former secular authorities laid charges against him. Turkey has asked the US to extradite him but Washington has shown little interest in doing so.

Zaman, with an estimated circulation of 650,000, is affiliated to Erdogan's arch-enemy, opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, believed to be wielding significant influence in the police and judiciary, as well as media and business circles.

Ankara accuses Gulen of running what it calls the Fethullahist Terror Organisation/Parallel State Structure (FeTO/PDY) and seeking to overthrow the legitimate Turkish authorities.

In its last edition that went to print before its takeover, the newspaper warned of the "darkest days" in the history of the Turkish press, and on Saturday police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse a group of the paper's supporters who were clapping in protest.

Zaman’s new management, under tight police supervision on Saturday, dismissed editor-in-chief Abdulhamit Bilici.

Critics said the takeover was aimed at eradicating opposition media.

"The Sunday edition was not produced by Zaman's staff," one of the newspaper's journalists told media.

The European Union urged Turkey to uphold press freedom. Human Rights Watch (HRW) also condemned the Turkish government’s move to “silence critical media.”

The Turkish government claims that the takeover was decided by the independent judiciary branch.
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Concerns Erdogan's Reckless Policies Ruining Turkish Economy

http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160308/1035970443/turkey-economy-erdogan-policies.html

While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has championed his government's role in defending Turkish interests throughout the migration crisis and war in Syria, critics fear the president's strong-handed approach to domestic and foreign policy may be severely undermining the Turkish economy.

With jitters in the international market, there are concerns about the state of the Turkish economy. Critics are accusing Erdogan's interference with the Turkish central bank as a contributing factor behind increasing inflation and the depreciation of the country's currency, the lira.

Analysts have pointed to Erdogan's rejection of central bank encouraged plans to support the lira after it depreciated by 20 percent last year, with the government knocking back proposals to shift monetary policy into a conventional single interest rate strategy.

In an analysis on the state of the Turkish economy, Fadi Hakura, associate fellow of UK-based think tank Chatham House, says Turkey can "ill-afford" anything that will damage the credibility of the country's central bank.

"Once the confidence of foreign investors is lost, the prospects for economic turmoil, if not a severe recession, rise significantly," he said, noting that this diminishing confidence had already led to US$10 billion in foreign capital exiting holdings in Turkish stocks and bonds last year.

Foreign Policy Concerns

While there are concerns about the government's approach to domestic monetary policy, some researchers have grave fears about the impact Turkey's current foreign policy will have on foreign investment in the country.

Erdogan's approach to the migration crisis and the war in Syria have led to increased tensions between Ankara and the West, while the shooting down of a Russian jet by Turkish forces had called into question the previously lucrative trade relationship between Russia and Turkey, according to Hakura.

"His [Erdogan's] decision to shoot down a Russian Sukhoi SU-24 fighter jet, last November for, according to the Turkish account, entering Turkish airspace from Syria for 17 seconds contributed to the loss of between US$9-12 billion of trade with Russia."

Differences over the war in Syria also looks set to ensure that Turkey won't significant benefit from the lifting of US and EU sanctions on Iran, while Turkey's exports to Gulf Arab states have fallen from US$12.8 billion in 2013 to below US$9 billion in 2015.

"Turkey needs an autonomous central bank and a more balanced foreign policy if it is to achieve monetary and currency stability, and increased trade and investment with Russia, Eurasia and the Middle East."
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Turkish students join their voices to poet’s apologies for downed Russian plane
http://tass.ru/en/world/861455

The young people recited the poem in Instanbul’s Taksim Square and on the waterfront of the Bosphorus Strait.

Turkish university students have joined their voices to the apologies poet Husseyin Haydar has presented to Russia on Turkey’s behalf for the Russian plane downed in November last year and the death of its pilot. The group of students recited his verse in front of a video camera and posted the message on the YouTube portal.

In the video four students take turns to recite extracts from Haydar’s poem entitled An Apology to the Great Russian People. In particular they quote the line saying "fraternal bonds were severed in front of our eyes."

The young people recited the poem in Instanbul’s Taksim Square and on the waterfront of the Bosphorus Strait. Earlier, YouTube published a video in which Haydar presented his apologies in person.

Russia’s Sukhoi-24 bomber was shot down over Syria by a Turkish F-16 fighter on November 24, 2015. Turkey claimed the Russian plane had strayed into its airspace. The Russian Defense Ministry responded the bomber had remained over Syria all the time. Pilot Oleg Peshkov was killed by militants from the ground seconds after ejecting himself. The navigator was rescued and taken to the Russian base. Shortly after the incident all trading and economic relations between Russia and Turkey were severed. Ankara refused to present apologies for the downed plane and the pilot’s death. Moscow blamed the incident on the Turkish leadership.

Haydar, who assumed responsibility as a poet representing Turkey to apologize for the pilot’s death mentioned quite a few symbols and historical personalities of Russia whom he was asking for forgiveness, including Vladimir Mayakovsky, Maxim Gorky, Yuri Gagarin and also the heroes who defeated Nazism.

The poem ends with the line: "And on my knees I am asking Oleg Peshkov’s mother for forgiveness."

Husseyin Haydar is a Turkish poet of renown, the winner of national awards who has published his works in many literary magazines of the country. He was born in 1956. In 1973 he won a competition of poets organized by the National Education Ministry.

He has had his works published in the Society and Art, The Labor of Art, Literary Front, Turkish Language, Legacy, National Art and other magazines since 1979. The poet’s verses have been translated into many languages.



Turkish poet writes apology to Russians for downed jet
http://tass.ru/en/world/861328

In his verse entitled "An apology to the great Russian people", Hüseyin Haydar wrote that "fraternal bonds were severed right in front of our eyes"

[...] The Turkish poet’s verse ends with an address to the family of the killed pilot: "And on my knees I am asking Oleg Peshkov’s mother for forgiveness."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1e3-35Jvhg
 
Turkey Is Trying to Sabotage Syria's Ceasefire

http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/turkey-trying-sabotage-syrias-ceasefire/ri13323

Ankara's belief that the Syrian Kurds 'aren't included' in the ceasefire could endanger the fragile peace process in war-torn Syria

With dozens of armed groups involved, the Russia-US brokered ceasefire in Syria was never going to be easy. But amazingly, the ceasefire is largely holding. Of course, there's always a few party poopers:

A Russia Defence Ministry center in Syria received reports on Saturday of Turkish shelling of Kurdish positions in Syria's Aleppo province, RIA news agency reported, while Turkey said it had been targeting Islamic State positions.

Were the "ISIS positions" in Turkey?

Rhetorical questions aside, Turkey's decision to exclude the Syrian Kurds from the ceasefire could have severe repercussions for the entire peace process. And Moscow is worried:

Russia has called on Turkey to stop actions that could torpedo Syria’s peace talks and disrupt the ceasefire in the war-stricken country.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov on Friday slammed Ankara for shelling Syrian Kurdish positions and for sending weapons across the border to assist foreign-backed militants, Bloomberg reported.

Such actions must stop “to provide a more constructive atmosphere for the intra-Syrian talks and a more durable ceasefire,” said Gatilov.

Simply put, Erdogan gains nothing from the ceasefire: Turkey is heavily invested in toppling Assad, and the Syrian government has already made it clear that only elections, and not backroom deals, will remove him from power. Furthermore, the Syrian Kurds now control a huge swath of northern Syria -- territory which was once held by Turkey's "moderate rebels". In other words, if the ceasefire holds, Erdogan's proxy armies will never be able to take back northern Syria. And of course, without controlling northern Syria, Turkey's dream of a "buffer zone" would not be achievable.

Even the US seems eager to reach a peace settlement in Syria (probably so it can move on to its next target?).

Erdogan has gone rogue.
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Feeling the Pressure: Erdogan 'May Become Even More Isolated'

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160313/1036196143/turkey-erdogan-isolation-politics.html

The next few months may see the further isolation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who will continue to antagonize more people at home and abroad, according to Ian Bremmer, a well-known US political scientist.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "may soon become even more isolated" as he continues to infuriate more people at home and abroad, US political scientist Ian Bremmer wrote in an article for Time magazine.

According to Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group, an NYC-based political consulting firm, Ankara will "continue to bear the brunt" of the consequences of its strained ties with Moscow, which deteriorated drastically after Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane in Syria in November 2015.

He also pointed to Turkey's NATO allies, such as the United States, being unhappy about Erdogan's policies, including his stance on the fight against Daesh (ISIL/ISIS).

"Washington is angry that Turkey is dropping many more bombs on Syrian Kurds than on ISIS, the focal point of US air attacks," Bremmer said.

According to him, "some Europeans suspect that Erdogan will pocket more European cash and concessions while doing little to keep his end of the bargain by stemming the flow of migrants from Turkey."

"Turkey’s government and European leaders are working to forge a deal to better manage the migrant crisis, but it’s unlikely to produce the results Europeans want — and Erdogan may soon become even more isolated," Bremmer said.

Additionally, Erdogan is facing a raft of domestic problems, including those pertaining to the tourism industry, which Bremmer said "hopes visiting Iranians will replace the Russians who are no longer coming."

On top of that, Erdogan will have to grapple with "opposition within his own party" as his clout continues to show signs of abating, according to Bremmer.

"A purported meeting several weeks ago that included former President Abdullah Gul, former Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc and other senior party members has fed speculation that rivals want to limit Erdogan's influence over the workings of government," he said.

He added that all this comes amid Erdogan's efforts to rewrite the Turkish constitution to strengthen his presidency and eliminate checks on his power, something that Bremer said is unlikely to be achieved.

"Erdogan's history suggests he'll try to bully his way into more power anyway. In the process, he'll antagonize more people–both at home and abroad," he concluded.
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Turkey declares new 24-hour curfew for mainly-Kurdish town

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Mar-13/341946-turkey-declares-new-24-hour-curfew-for-mainly-kurdish-town.ashx

ANKARA: Turkish authorities have declared a new 24-hour, indefinite curfew at a mainly-Kurdish town where Turkey's security forces are set to launch a large-scale operation to battle Kurdish militants.

The local governor's office said the curfew would take effect in the town of Yuksekova – near Turkey's borders with Iraq and Iran – at 40:00 a.m. Sunday. It said entering and leaving the town would also be banned. News reports say dozens of tanks have been deployed to Yuksekova.

Turkey has imposed curfews in several flashpoint districts in the southeast since August to root out militants linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, who had set up barricades, dug trenches and planted explosives.

The military operations have raised concerns over human rights violations and scores of civilian deaths.
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Explosion rocks Turkish capital Ankara, ‘many dead’ – reports
https://www.rt.com/news/335463-central-ankara-blast-sunday/

An explosion hit the center of Ankara on Sunday evening, with a number of people reportedly killed and wounded.

A senior security official told the news agency that a blast occurred near Guven Park in the city center.

The cause of the explosion is so far unknown, the official added.



Multiple Casualties Reported After Major Explosion in Ankara
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160313/1036219782/bus-ankara-explosion.html

The explosion on the bus stop at Ankara caused multiple casualties, according to reports.

According to reports, bus laden with explosives blew up near a bus stop, dozens of cars are burning.

GRAPHIC PHOTOS ‼️ Several killed & dozens injured after an explosion near a main Bus stop in Ankara, Turkey. pic.twitter.com/HHWoVRUslV

Russian embassy in Turkey has no information on Russian citizens injured in Ankara blast.


At Least 15 People Killed After Major Explosion in Ankara
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160313/1036219782/bus-ankara-explosion.html

The explosion on the bus stop at Ankara caused multiple casualties, according to reports.

The explosion on the bus stop in Ankara caused at least 15 people killed and multiple wounded, according to reports.

VIDEO: Alleged footage of the moment of the blast in #Ankara #Turkey - @AEJKhalilpic.twitter.com/0xgtNR4z6A
— Conflict News (@Conflicts) 13 марта 2016 г.

According to reports, bus laden with explosives blew up near a bus stop, dozens of cars are burning.

An explosion that hit the center of Ankara was a terrorist attack, which has been caused by a car bomb, the NTV broadcast reported Sunday, citing a police source.

The police have cordoned the scene of the explosion, where several ambulance cars had arrived.

The Russian embassy in Turkey has not yet received any information on whether Russian citizens have been injured in an explosion in central Ankara on Sunday, an embassy representative said.

Earlier in the day, a major explosion hit central Ankara, reportedly leaving multiple casualties.

"We have not received any information so far," the representative told RIA Novosti, adding that the embassy was checking whether any Russian citizens were injured in the blast.



Turkish Opposition Sues Erdogan Government for Supporting Terrorism
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160308/1035979722/criminal-complaint-against-akp.html

Turkey’s main opposition party has filed a lawsuit against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accusing Ankara of "aiding and abetting a terrorist organization."

The Republican People’s Party (CHP), Turkey’s main opposition party, has filed a criminal complaint against senior officials of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), including President Erdogan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Chief Hakan Fidan.

The complaint accuses Ankara of being complicit in violence caused by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara itself considers a terrorist organization, as well as the group’s accumulation of weapons, for political gain.

The complaint cites the fact that only eight out of 290 requests to conduct anti-terror operations by the Turkish Armed Forces were granted during election periods.

As evidence, Tezcan cited a secret meeting between leaders of the AKP and jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.

The complaint follows statements made by CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, accusing the AKP of aiding terrorist organizations by "overlooking the stockpiling of weapons by the PKK."

Highlighting unrest within the Turkish government, the nation’s highest court opened its own investigation into government links to the PKK last summer. This followed a criminal complaint by the ruling AKP against the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

Critics claim that the AKP’s complaint is political, attempting to force the HDP to comply with the Erdogan government.


Meanwhile, in Mali.......

UN Peacekeeper in Mali Kills Two Colleagues
http://sputniknews.com/africa/20160313/1036218908/un-mali-mission-murder.html

13.03.2016 - A UN peacekeeper with a mission in Mali has fired at three of his colleagues, killing two of them, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) said on Sunday.

"Yesterday [on Saturday], near 7 p.m, a tragic incident occurred in the MINUSMA camp in Tesalit, in the Kidal region, when a blue helmet fired on three of his colleagues. The resulting two deaths are deplorable. Another was lightly injured," the mission said in a statement.

According to the statement, the suspect was arrested, and the security at the peacekeepers' camp was reinforced. An investigation into the case has been launched to determine the reasons behind the incident, the mission said.

Mali has been in turmoil since a 2012 military coup, after which separatist tribes seized control over vast territories in northern Mali, and later, various Islamist groups started to operate in the country.

MINUSMA has been stationed in Mali together with French troops since 2013 to counter the Islamist militants.


A month earlier:
UNSC Calls for Swift Investigation Into Killing of 6 Peacekeepers in Mali
http://sputniknews.com/africa/20160213/1034687578/mali-un-peacekeepers-killing-investigation.html

13.02.2016 - The UN Security Council has called on the government of Mali to launch an urgent investigation into the killing of at least six peacekeepers from Guinea in a complex attack on a camp of the UN mission.

On Friday, an attack was launched against the camp of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in Kidal, a town in northern Mali. Around 30 people were injured in the attack, according to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and six peacekeepers were killed.

"The members of the Security Council called on the Government of Mali to swiftly investigate this attack and bring the perpetrators to justice and stressed that those responsible for the attack should be held accountable. They underlined that attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law," the Council said in a Friday statement.

The radical Ansar Dine group has reportedly claimed responsibility for the Friday attack.

Mali has been in crisis since a 2012 coup attempt as several insurgent groups – including Islamic extremists — have been fighting against the Malian government in an attempt to gain independence or greater autonomy for the country's northern region.

The UN mission has been present in the country since 2013.
 
Turkey: At least 27 killed in Ankara blast RT
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=664_1457894917

At least 27 people have been killed and 75 injured in an alleged suicide blast in the Turkish capital Ankara on Sunday.

The blast, which took place near Guven Park, appears to have been triggered by a car exploding near a bus stop

No one has so far claimed responsibility for the bombing.


Another video:
At Least 27 Killed, 75 Wounded in Ankara Blast
Explosion in Ankara comes 2 days after the US warned citizens of a possible terrorist attack in the city.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=14f_1457893884
 
Death toll in Turkish car bomb attack rises to 37: health minister

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-blast-idUSKCN0WF0PP

The death toll in a car bomb attack in the Turkish capital Ankara has risen to 37 people, Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said on Monday, adding that 71 people were still being treated in hospital.

Of those in hospital, 15 were in serious condition, he told reporters.

Sunday's bombing was the second such attack in the administrative heart of the city in under a month and two senior security officials told Reuters initial findings suggested the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group was responsible.
Click to expand...


Terrorist attack in Ankara carried out by man and woman — media

http://tass.ru/en/world/862065

The explosion near a bus stop killed at least 34 people and wounded over 120 more

ANKARA, March 14. /TASS/. The terrorist attack in Ankara that killed at least 34 people was carried out by a man and a woman, Turkey’s Cumhuriyet newspaper reported on Monday.

According to the newspaper, two people, one of them a woman, blew up the car in the key transport hub of the Turkish capital.

The explosion, in Guven Part in the Kizilay district, killed at least 34 people and wounded over 120 more. According to preliminary information, a car bomb exploded near a bus stop.
Click to expand...


BREAKING:

Turkey warplanes hit Kurdish PKK camps in northern Iraq – Turkish army

https://www.rt.com/news/335484-turkey-hits-kurds-iraq/

Turkish warplanes bombed camps belonging to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the north of Iraq early on Monday, Turkey’s army has confirmed. The strikes come less than 24 hours after a car bomb in Ankara killed at least 37 people.

A total of 11 fighter jets were involved in the bombardment of the PKK positions. Eighteen targets were hit, including ammunition depots and shelters, the Turkish military said in a statement, as cited by Reuters.

Turkey believes the PKK is a terrorist organization and Ankara has blamed the Kurdish separatist group for a number of recent terrorist attacks in the country, including Sunday’s car bomb at a transport hub in the Turkish capital, which killed at least 37 people and injured dozens more.

Speaking after the attack, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would bring terrorism “to its knees,” and that the Turkish state would “never give up using its right of self-defense.”

“All of our security forces, with its soldiers, police and village guards, have been conducting a determined struggle against terror organizations at the cost of their lives,” Erdogan said in a written statement, as cited by the Hurriyet Daily News. "These attacks, which threaten our country's integrity and our nation's unity and solidarity, do not weaken our resolve in fighting terrorism but bolster our determination," he added.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Click to expand...


Some 2,000 Turkish Soldiers Remain in Iraq Against Baghdad’s Will

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160314/1036237600/iraq-turkey-kurds-taliban.html

Up to 2,000 Turkish troops remain deployed in northern Iraq in terms of the protests of Baghdad, a representative of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government in Moscow said Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Some 1,500-2,000 Turkish troops remain in northern Iraq despite the protests of Baghdad, a representative of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government in Moscow said Monday.

In December, Turkey deployed its troops to a base in the Iraqi Nineveh province, without Baghdad’s approval. Turkey said its military had entered Iraq to protect Turkish instructors deployed at the base earlier to train local militias, fighting against Islamic State, a terrorist group outlawed in a number of countries worldwide, including Russia.

"About 1,500-2,000 Turkish soldiers [are there]…. Iraq issued a serious warning to make them leave the country, but the Turks did not listen. Unfortunately, the West and the United State, the United Nations too, are silent about it," Aso Talabani told RIA Novosti.

According to the official, "the Turks did not come to help us."

"They have arrived there, first, to fight against the Kurds. Secondly, they have a plan to stay in Iraq after the liberation of Mosul and the Islamic State's destruction," he pointed out.

In late February, Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Jamal told Sputnik that the Turkish forces' presence on Iraqi territory without Baghdad's approval was "insolence" unacceptable for Iraq and an attempt to distract Iraqi authorities from the fight against Daesh.
Click to expand...
 
Turkey blocks social media following Ankara attack
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/209341#.VuaA0ZsUWih

A court in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Sunday evening ordered a ban on access to Facebook and Twitter, after images from the deadly car bombing earlier in the day in the city were shared on the social media platforms, Reuters reports.

Several local users reported difficulty in accessing the sites, according to the news agency. This would not be the first time that social media sites have been blocked in Turkey, as the country last year blocked access to Twitter over the sharing of photographs of a prosecutor being held at gunpoint by far-left militants.

In January of 2015, the country blocked access to all sites which carried the front page of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which featured a cartoon of Mohammed following the massacre at the magazine's office by Muslim terrorists. That same month the government reportedly ordered the closure of all websites which published details of alleged Turkish arms transfers to Sunni Islamist rebels in Syria.

In 2014, after briefly banning all access to Twitter, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to "eradicate" the social media site.

Turkey has in recent years tightened government control of the Internet and the judiciary, generating criticism from rights groups.

At least 32 people were killed and over 70 wounded in Sunday's attack, which took place when a vehicle laden with explosives detonated close to bus stops near a park at Ankara's main square, Kizila.

No organization has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. A Turkish security official said that initial findings suggest the attack was carried out by the Kurdish PKK group or an affiliated group.
 
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