Hulusi Akar

The Turkish Armed Forces has voiced its unease over "abrasive" criticisms and reports that have targeted Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar in recent days over a number of topics on the country's agenda.

The criticisms and false reports are intended to overshadow the army's success at a time when it is fighting against terror organizations, military sources told daily Hürriyet.

The Turkish Armed Forces has voiced it uneasiness over "abrasive" criticisms and reports particularly targeting Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar in recent days over a number of topics on the country's agenda. Some false reports and criticisms were intended to overshadow the army's success at a time it is fighting against terror organizations, military sources told Hürriyet.

Last week marked quite a surge in diplomatic traffic between Turkish and American high-level officials. Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Işik met Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis on the sidelines of the NATO Defense Ministerial Meeting in Brussels. The next day, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joe Dunford, met with his Turkish counterpart, Gen.

Athens is viewing the recent spike in violations of Greece's air space and territorial waters by Turkish ships and jets as a test of its resolve.

Tensions between the two countries escalated further on Friday after a Turkish coastal patrol boat fired live ammunition during a military exercise in Greek territorial waters in the eastern Aegean.

U.S. Chief of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford held a meeting on Feb. 17 with Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar at the İncirlik air base to discuss an offensive to capture Raqqa from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

U.S. Chief of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford held a meeting on Feb. 17 with Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar at the İncirlik air base to discuss an offensive to capture Raqqa from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

U.S. Chief of Joint Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford is set to visit Turkey on Feb. 17. Following the Feb. 9 visit of CIA head Michael Pompeo, Dunford is the second high-ranking U.S. official's visit to Turkey, as part of a Middle Eastern tour. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan conducted the Umrah while in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 15, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

Erdoğan visited the al-Masjid an-Nabawi, a religious site that includes Prophet Muhammad's grave in Medina. 

Erdoğan subsequently traveled to Mecca, where he visited the Masjid al-Haram late on Feb. 15.  

Turkish troops and Turkey-backed Syrian rebels are conducting a cleaning up operation against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in al-Bab, which Turkey has been trying to liberate since December 2016 as part of its ongoing Euphrates Shield Operation, officials have said.

Turkey's first female general candidate, Bilgehan Bülbül,  and her husband Nail Bülbül were released on condition of judicial control after their detention upon her return from a recent visit to the Kardak islets, where she accompanied Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen.