Author: Daily Sabah

Addressing a convention of his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye would ensure its security starting in 2025. “We will eliminate threats posed beyond our southern borders,” he said, referring to the terrorist group PKK, which occupies several regions in Iraq and Syria, situated kilometers away from Turkish border towns. Erdoğan said at the event in the western province of Balıkesir that they would resolve Türkiye’s acute problems, particularly the threat of terrorism and asked the public to have “more patience.” The president often warns PKK/YPG which carved out a bastion for…

Türkiye will be printing the new identity cards, passports and driving licenses of Syrian citizens as part of its support to the new era in its neighbor following the fall of Bashar Assad. A report in Turkish newspaper Sabah said Turkish institutions are working to meet the requests of the new administration in Syria, which includes printing said documents, as well as the status of Syrians returning from Türkiye. The Migration Management Directorate will be setting up offices in Syria to coordinate the entry and exits of Syrians in Türkiye with the new Syrian officials in order to ensure the…

A civil society organization is calling on millions in Istanbul to rally on New Year’s Day for Palestine as Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip nears the 16-month mark. Turkish Youth Foundation (TÜGVA) President Ibrahim Beşinci said the pro-Palestine rally scheduled to kick off from the Galata Bridge in Istanbul must be spread to the masses to raise awareness about Palestine. “We cannot enter the new year while there are women and children being killed,” Beşinci told Anadolu Agency (AA). The rally is organized by the National Will Platform, which brings together 308 civil society organizations. Beşinci said last year’s…

Three political parties on the edge of losing exclusive parliamentary rights are reportedly charting their future and planning a new alliance. The Felicity Party (SP), Future Party (GP) and Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) had their parliamentary candidates run in Republican People’s Party (CHP) lists in the election, which ensured their survival in the 2023 electoral defeat thanks to this alliance. The SP and GP formed a parliamentary group with a new alliance but the resignation of a GP lawmaker earlier this week endangered its survival. They lost the right to form a group as the number of their total…

Turkish authorities intercepted 656 irregular migrants in nationwide operations, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Friday. In the Aegean Sea, 57 migrants risking their lives to reach Greece were also rescued by the coast guard. Yerlikaya said more than 26,000 security personnel participated in the “Shield-36” operation across the country and that it also netted 52 people, including 32 foreigners involved in migrant smuggling. The minister said in a social media post that they checked 402,609 IDs to detect irregular migrants in 15,616 locations. He noted that irregular migrants were being sent back to their countries of origin. “Türkiye demonstrates…

Turkish police on Thursday captured a Chechen national wanted by Interpol-Europol for allegedly being a member of the Daesh terrorist group. According to a memo sent to the Turkish Police Department on Dec. 16 from Interpol, Chechen police discovered that the suspect, identified by his initials B.E., committed armed robbery at a house with several other criminals, stealing 400,000 rubles ($4,000) and other materials. The memo warned the suspect had joined Daesh and could be in Türkiye, adding that he was also possibly part of a spy organization. B.E. was captured in Istanbul’s Başakşehir district early on Thursday after the…

Cornered in northeastern Syria, the terrorist group PKK/YPG is nearing the end of its illegal existence in the country. Türkiye pressed on for its elimination while the Syrian National Army (SNA) took back Manbij and Tal Rifaat, the group occupied for years. The new administration, founded by groups that toppled the Assad regime, also announced no tolerance of terrorists. Desperate to survive, the group launched a new advance toward Manbij this week. Anadolu Agency (AA) reported on Thursday that SNA forces were engaged in clashes with terrorists in the vicinity of Manbij. Terrorists have sporadically carried out attacks since Dec.…

The Foreign Minister of Sudan has praised Türkiye’s “generous stance” toward Sudanese people who have been under threat of famine due to 20 months of brutal civil war. “Under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Türkiye has displayed a generous and positive stance towards the Sudanese people and government during the war,” Ali Yusuf said, pointing out a “reliable and historic” relationship between his country and Türkiye. Sudan is reeling from 20 months of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by rival generals, which have led to a dire humanitarian crisis. The war has killed…

Mustafa Nedim Yamalı, who announced his resignation from the opposition Future Party (GP) on Tuesday, officially joined the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Wednesday. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally congratulated Yamalı as he attended a parliamentary group meeting of the ruling party. “I believe political movements close to each other in the conservative community should be united,” Yamalı told reporters on the sidelines of the parliamentary group meeting in the capital Ankara. Yamalı was among the founders of the AK Party’s Ankara branch in the early 2000s and served as head of the Ankara branch between 2014…

The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers will square off at the Chase Center on Thursday for headline action in the 2024-25 NBA Christmas/Boxing Day schedule. Both teams are looking to rebound from disappointing home losses, and only one will leave the court with their spirits lifted, while the other faces a humbling second straight defeat. Golden State’s struggles continued Tuesday as they fell 111-105 to the Indiana Pacers, just days after snapping a three-game losing streak with a 113-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite a strong offensive showing in the first half – recording their second-highest scoring…