Author: Daily Sabah

A member of the PKK terrorist group, who served as a bodyguard of the group’s ringleaders and was also in charge of the group’s logistics, was eliminated by Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), security sources said Thursday. The target was identified as Serhat Tagay, code-named “Mervan Hizan.” Sources said the operation took place in Iraq’s Gara region, a hotbed of the terrorist group. Tagay had an arrest warrant and was identified as the name behind the supply network for explosives and weapons used in the terrorist group’s attacks targeting Türkiye security forces. Sources said the terrorist joined the group in…

The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) chief Ibrahim Kalın informed the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) about Türkiye’s ongoing counterterrorism operations, security sources said Wednesday. Kalın met with CHP Chairman Özgür Özel and his delegation at the party headquarters in the capital Ankara. He shared information about the ongoing efforts against the PKK, the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and Daesh terrorists and explained MIT’s strategies against the aforementioned terrorist groups. He told the CHP delegation that Türkiye has been striving to obstruct the PKK terrorist group and its offshoot YPG’s efforts to create a “terror corridor” along the Türkiye-Syria border,…

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) decried the violent harassment of Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, who was pushed and shoved by opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmakers Wednesday. Yerlikaya was trying to enter a chamber of Parliament in the capital Ankara to attend budget talks on his ministry when CHP officials confronted him. In moments captured on camera, Yerlikaya is seen being pushed away by CHP members and in one moment, almost put in a chokehold. Minutes later, he managed to make it into the venue, barely escaping the unfolding stampede. AK Party spokesperson Ömer Çelik described the…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday said Türkiye opposed the United States’ decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles, warning that President Joe Biden’s decision will further escalate the conflict and prompt a reaction by Russia. “We do not find this decision correct, nor do we approve of it,” Erdoğan told reporters on his return flight from Brazil, where he attended the G-20 leaders’ summit. Such developments might bring the region and world to the brink of larger war, he warned, saying that both Russia and Ukraine should focus on peace and maintain restraint. “Even the smallest misstep would…

The Parliamentary Subcommittee on Peer Bullying, established under the Petition Committee, convened under the leadership of Justice and Development Party Istanbul MP Yıldız Konal Süslü to discuss measures to combat bullying in schools. Representatives from the Ministry of National Education (MEB), the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) and academia presented their findings and recommendations during the meeting. RTÜK Vice President Deniz Güler shared data from a survey conducted in 2021 with 6,500 young people across 26 provinces. The results showed that 95% of respondents have at least one social media account, while 17.7% have an additional account unknown to…

Security sources said on Wednesday a wanted terrorist was captured by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) in an unspecified Middle Eastern country. The terrorist was identified as Kadir Çelik, a member of the Maoist Communist Party (MKP) who was linked to the terrorist group PKK. Çelik, who was in the “gray category” of the most wanted list of the Interior Ministry, was planning an attack that would target Türkiye, sources said. He was handed over to law enforcement after his capture. Sources said Çelik was active in MKP’s illegal wing in Istanbul between 2011 and 2016, where he was involved…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his criticism of the failure of global institutions in the face of global challenges and crises, as he said Israel ramps up its state-sponsored terrorism with Western support. “Israel intensifies its state terrorism with support of Western countries,” Erdoğan told a news conference on the sidelines of the G-20 Leaders Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Tuesday. Noting that global institutions, such as the U.N., are failing amid rising global challenges and crises, Erdoğan said the U.N. Security Council has turned into what he called “an elitist structure” that prioritizes the interests of five…

The Presidential Communications Directorate rejected recent reports by some media outlets, claiming that Britain was allegedly in talks with Türkiye and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Northern Iraq to stop irregular migration in return for cash. In a statement, the directorate said claims reported by some media outlets are not correct. “It is out of the question to hold talks or reach a deal between Türkiye and the U.K. about irregular migrants, contrary to the claims on the reports,” the directorate said, adding that statements not made by official sources are not reliable. The reports the directorate rejected claimed…

The first hearing of a trial of 20 defendants accused of espionage for Israeli intelligence service Mossad began on Tuesday in Istanbul. Two defendants testifying in the first hearing denied charges and claimed they were not aware of money wired to them by the Israeli operatives to spy on Palestinians in Türkiye. Most suspects were foreigners living in Türkiye and were apprehended in one of many operations against Mossad operatives in recent years in the country, especially after a new round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Fifteen defendants were remanded in custody, while others were released pending trial earlier. One defendant…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met several counterparts and high-ranking officials on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit he attended in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro that began on Monday. His meetings were mostly with Asian leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping. Separately, he attended a meeting of MIKTA, an inter-regional informal consultation platform between Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Türkiye and Australia. Erdoğan also held discussions with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the two discussed bilateral relations between their countries as well as regional and global issues. The Presidency’s Directorate of Communications announced that Erdoğan said work to advance cooperation between the…