Hulusi Akar

Turkey started its military operation into Syria on Aug. 24, 2016, following a suicide attack by the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), or DEASH with its Arabic initials, that killed 59 civilians in the border city of Gaziantep on Aug. 20.

The biggest trial yet against suspects accused of involvement in the July 2016 coup attempt began in Turkey on Feb. 28 in a courtroom specially built to hold more than 1,500 people.     

Turkey's military has made a statement on a recent debate over a report in daily Hürriyet that was also heavily criticized by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. 

The military said on Feb. 28 that recent "unfounded and ill-intentioned" criticism toward Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar aimed at casting a shadow on the Turkish Armed Forces' (TSK) struggle against terrorism.

The Turkish military said on Feb. 28 that recent "unfounded and ill-intentioned" criticism toward Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar aimed to cast a shadow on the Turkish Armed Forces' (TSK) struggle against terrorism. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a meeting with Defense Minister Fikri Işık at the Beylerbeyi Palace in Istanbul on Feb. 27. 

Reports said the president would also meet with Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar later in the day.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım held an announced meeting with Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar on Feb. 27 after the military voiced its disturbance over a series of criticisms and reports targeting Turkey's top soldier. 

On the 21st anniversary of the Kardak/Imia crisis, at the end of last month, there was a marked tension between Turkey and Greece. 

Daily Hürriyet has released a statement regarding its lead story on Feb. 25 about the Turkish Armed Forces' answers to various criticisms, responding to a wave of "unlimited slander" against its journalism immediately after the story was published.

Below is the full text of the statement.

Hürriyet has released a statement regarding its headline story on Feb. 25 about the Turkish Armed Forces' answers to various criticisms, responding to "unlimited slanders" targeting its journalism right after the story was published. Below is the full text of the statement."Our daily's Feb.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Feb. 25 slammed Greece's refusal to extradite eight former soldiers allegedly involved in the July 2016 coup attempt.