Patriot missile launchers in northern Germany Nearly 2,000 foreign troops are expected to be deployed along Turkey’s border with Syria to operate the surface-to-air Patriot missile batteries, a report says. The Turkish daily Today’s Zaman on Tuesday reported that the troops will be from the United States, Germany and the Netherlands. The three NATO members have agreed to send the missiles to the... 

Lieutenant General Mark Phillip Hertling The commanding general of the US Army Europe (USAREUR) says the Pentagon has recently sent a number of American soldiers to Turkey in a bid to assist Ankara in handling the spillover of the Syrian crisis. “We have had a relatively few number of US Army Europe personnel in Turkey recently,” Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper quoted Lieutenant General Mark... 

Ankara has placed a ban on Syrian Airlines flying into Turkish airspace, after a diplomatic row that began when Turkey seized cargo from a Syrian civilian plane it forced to land in Ankara. Earlier, Damascus closed its airspace to Turkish airlines. ­Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his country had made the decision because the Syrian regime, which is battling an insurgency, was “abusing”... 

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has warned Turkey and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) against military intervention in Syria. The premier made the remarks during his ongoing visit to Russia on Wednesday. Al-Maliki accused Ankara of trying to draw the Western military alliance into the conflict in neighboring Syria, noting that NATO should not... 

A Syrian Air Airbus A320 Turkish fighter jets have forced a Syria-bound civilian airplane heading to Damascus from Moscow to land in the Turkish capital Ankara. The Airbus A320 was intercepted by Turkish F-16 jets late on Wednesday as it entered the country’s airspace. The plane, reportedly carrying 35 passengers onboard, was then escorted to Ankara’s Esenboga Airport. Questioned by Turkey’s... 

The Turkish-Syrian Skirmish Is Being Taken Out Of Context. The mainstream American press has trumpeted for days the claim that Turkey is “retaliating” for artillery fire coming from Syrian government forces on the Syrian-Turkish border near the town of Akçakale. Because Turkey is a member of Nato (for 50 years), a declaration of war by Turkey could well drag Nato into a conflict. The Turkish... 

Several Syrian soldiers killed in Turkey attack Turkey has fired back at Syria after Syrian mortar bombs killed five people and wounded eight, in a Turkish town near the border, according to senior Turkish officials. NATO convened for an urgent meeting tonight, unilaterally condemning the act. “Our armed forces in the border region immediately retaliated against this heinous attack… by shelling... 

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu are considering implementing no-fly zones for Syria after holding Saturday talks in Istanbul. ­According to Reuters, Clinton said that Ankara and Washington need to plan ways to assist the rebels fighting to topple President Bashar... 

Members of an armed gang in Syria A report says Turkey has supplied the foreign-sponsored armed groups in Syria with surface-to-air missiles. According to a July 31 report by the NBC News, nearly two dozen missiles have been delivered to the rebels in Syria by Turkey. The report, however, did not provide details on the exact type of the missiles, also known as MANPADs (man-portable air-defense systems). Over... 

Turkey has reportedly deployed tanks and armored vehicles to the Syrian border. Turkish officials have confirmed deploying anti-aircraft batteries in the area close to the border with Syria. This is the reply to Syria downing a Turkish reconnaissance aircraft in country’s territorial waters and the shooting at another plane. ­Turkish state TV reports 30 military trucks, including air-defense systems... 

RF-4E, Turkish Air Force The Turkish foreign minister says the military jet shot down by the Syrian military on Friday was not spying on Syria. It was testing a domestic radar system and was fired upon without warning upon leaving Syrian airspace, he said. ­The jet was unarmed, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in an interview with TRT TV channel on Sunday. The minister confirmed that... 

F-4E 2020 Terminator Damascus has apologized for shooting down a military plane, which went off Turkish radars earlier in the day, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said. The plane was taken down by Syrian forces, an official Turkish source confirmed to Hurriyet daily. The plane crashed into Syrian territorial waters earlier today, according to reports. A missile shattered it to pieces after which... 

A Turkish F-4 fighter jet A Turkish fighter jet has crashed in Syrian territorial waters with some reports suggesting that it was shot down by Syria. According to Turkish sources, the military lost radar and radio contact with the F-4 plane on the Mediterranean after it took off from Erhac Airport in the eastern province of Malatya, which borders Syria. Turkish officials say there had been no border... 

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized the West for ‘sparking a crisis’ over Iran’s nuclear energy program, while turning a blind eye to Israel’s atomic activities. “We raise this issue [on] almost all international platforms. We urge them to take the necessary safety measures. But those who have nuclear facilities, who see nuclear... 

Tariq al-Hashemi (L) meets with Erdogan in Ankara in April 2011. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Ankara will continue to support Iraq’s fugitive vice president even after Interpol issued a worldwide alert for his arrest. Erdogan told a news conference in Italy on Tuesday that his government had always supported Tariq al-Hashemi and would continue to do so in future. The Turkish...