A recent statement by a Turkish official revealing detailed awareness of Russian Air Force sorties in Syria can be regarded as “official acknowledgment” that the operation to down the Su-24 was a planned step, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said. “When on November 24 the Turkish fighter jet treacherously fired a rocket at our Su-24, the Turkish General Staff was perfectly aware about when... 

Some 60,000 Syrian Kurds have crossed into Turkey in the past 24 hours, fleeing Islamic State (IS) militants who are advancing on dozens of villages close to the border. Turkey opened a stretch of the border on Friday after Kurds fled their homes, fearing an attack on the border town of Ayn al-Arab, a Kurdish commander on the ground said. Local Kurds also said they fear a massacre in Kobani, whose... 

Demonstrators gathered at Taksim Square in protest against the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on June 13, 2013. Thousands of demonstrators have gathered at Istanbul’s iconic Taksim Square for fresh protest against the government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The demonstration was held on Saturday despite the massive crackdown on anti-government protesters over... 

Anti-government protesters at Istanbul’s Taksim Square on June 4, 2013 Turkish protesters have rejected the government’s apology for excessive violence by police and its appeal to end days of unrest. On Tuesday, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc told a news conference in Ankara, “The excessive violence that was used in the first instance against those who were behaving with...