A human rights activist in Turkey and beyond, the writer Dogan Akhanli died on October 31 after a short illness. He was 64. In 2019, the Goethe-Institut medal winner talked with DW about writing and state persecution.
Turkey s Erdogan exploits nationalism at home after Turks die in Iraq
Last week, 13 Turkish citizens were killed in northern Iraq during military operations against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Turkey says it s a terror organization and is using it to malign opposition politicians.
Though the circumstances of a botched military operation that killed 13 people is unclear, Erdogan has gone on the offensive
The circumstances that led to the deaths of 13 Turkish citizens in the Gara region of northern Iraq are unclear. According to the Turkish government, they were each executed with a shot to the head by PKK operatives, but the Kurdish militant group says they died in bombings conducted by the Turkish air force. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the army had been trying to free kidnapped citizens. We didn t succeed, he said.
US condemns PKK attack under pressure from Turkey
Washington has bowed to pressure from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who accused the US of supporting terrorism. Ankara says Kurdish rebels killed 13 Turkish hostages. At first, the US treated this claim as unconfirmed.
Erdogan took exception to a cautiously worded statement from the US that didn t treat Turkey s version of events as confirmed
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called his Turkish counterpart on Monday, and said Washington concurred that the Kurdish PKK group bears responsibility for the killings of 13 Turkish hostages in Iraq at the weekend. The move followed condemnations from Ankara after the first US reaction expressed condolences but did not categorically blame the PKK.