Turkish top diplomat comments on Idlib deal implementation

The Turkish-Russian agreement on establishing a demilitarized zone in the Syrian province of Idlib "is being implemented at a good pace," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the CNN Turk TV channel on Friday.

"There is a need to take additional security measures along the M4 and M5 highways [in Idlib,’ he said. "The memorandum on Idlib is being implemented at a good pace. However, the steps we have taken will not make it possible to ensure a permanent ceasefire unless a political solution is found," the Turkish top diplomat added.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday that "despite Ankara’s significant efforts to implement the Russian-Turkish memorandum signed on September 17, difficulties persist in setting up a demilitarized zone in Idlib." 

In this regard, she mentioned last week’s attack on the Syrian government troops’ positions near the Jurin settlement, carried by terrorists affiliated with Al-Qaeda (outlawed in Russia), which claimed the lives of 18 military servicemen.

According to the Russian-Turkish memorandum, signed in Sochi on September 17 following talks between the two countries’ presidents, a 15 to 20 kilometer-wide demilitarized zone was to be set up in the Syrian province of Idlib by October 15. 

However, Ankara asked to be given more time and postpone the launch of joint patrols, saying that it was impossible to guarantee security.

TASS

France imposes sanctions on 18 Saudis over Khashoggi killing

France said on Thursday it had imposed sanctions, including travel bans, on 18 Saudi citizens linked to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and warned that more could follow depending on results of the current investigation.

The bans bind all members of the European Union's passport-free Schengen zone, it said.

"The murder of Mr. Khashoggi is a crime of extreme gravity, which moreover goes against freedom of the press and the most fundamental rights," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"France asks that all light be shed on the manner in which such an act may have been committed. It expects from the Saudi authorities a transparent, detailed and exhaustive response," the statement added.

French reaction has been relatively guarded given it is keen to retain its influence with Riyadh and protect commercial relations spanning energy, finance and weapons sales.

Khashoggi was killed and dismembered on Oct. 2 in the Saudi consulate in Turkey's Istanbul. The 59-year-old was a veteran Saudi journalist who wrote for the Washington Post and other international media. He had become one of the leading public critics of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose father is the Saudi king.

Last week, the Saudi state prosecutor's office announced that 21 individuals had been taken into custody and charges set against 11 of them. Five of them face possible execution for the murder, according to the prosecutor.

France said in its statement that it opposed the death penalty in all circumstances.

Turkey reiterated Tuesday that it would not allow a cover-up of the investigation on Khashoggi's killing, shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump said that Washington would not deter its ties with Riyadh in a statement that attempted to eliminate the Saudi crown prince's role in the incident as the ultimate person giving the order for the murder.

"The truth has to come out on who gave the instructions regarding his killing," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told reporters in Washington following a meeting with his U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo, adding that Ankara was not satisfied with the level of cooperation it has received so far from Riyadh as part of the investigation into what has been described as a "premeditated" and a "political" murder by many.

Çavuşoğlu reiterated that Turkey would take formal steps to seek a United Nations-led international inquiry into the incident if Ankara reaches an "impasse" with Riyadh.

Breaking: US to establish observation posts on Syria-Turkey border: Mattis

The United States is setting up observation posts on the northern Syria border with Turkey to deter any aggression against Turkey, US Defense Secretary James Mattis announced on Wednesday. 

“Turkey, a NATO ally, has legitimate concerns about terrorist threats and from where they’re emanating,” he said in a press briefing at the Pentagon. “We don’t dismiss any of their concerns.”

Turkey considers the Kurdish groups in northern Syria, the political party PYD and armed forces YPG, YPJ, and SDF, to be branches of the PKK and has threatened military action against them numerous times. 

Ankara has accused the Kurdish forces of firing across the border into Turkey. The Kurdish forces deny the charge. 

The US has been playing peacekeeper between their NATO ally Turkey and the Kurdish forces who they are fighting alongside in the war against ISIS. 

These observation posts are the latest effort to prevent conflict. They will be manned by forces already present in northern Syria and will provide intelligence to Turkey of any possible “terrorist elements” moving across the border, Mattis explained. 

The decision was made after consultation between Washington and Ankara, he added. 

American and Turkish forces are conducting joint patrols in the Manbij area in order to allay Turkey’s security concerns.

US forces are also patrolling along the border of Rojava – the Kurdish self-autonomous region in northern Syria – with Turkey after Turkish forces fired at Kurdish villages. 

American soldiers in the patrols, in rare comments to media, said on Sunday they were there to assess what is happening in order develop a strategy to resolve the situation. 

One soldier, who declined to be named, said the way forward is “political. There’s no amount of patrols or effort on our part that are going to solve the problem.”

Turkey to seek UN investigation into Khashoggi murder if Saudis don't cooperate

Turkey is not entirely satisfied with the level of cooperation it is receiving from Saudi Arabia over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and could seek a formal United Nations inquiry over the issue if its liaising with Riyadh comes to an impasse, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said late Tuesday during a press conference in Washington D.C.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Çavuşoğlu said Turkey has shared the latest information on the Khashoggi killing with the United States and repeated Ankara's stance that the truth had to come out on who gave the orders to kill the journalist.

"We do not see Khashoggi's murder as a bilateral matter between Turkey and Saudi Arabia; it is a humanitarian issue," the top diplomat said.

"The truth has to come out on who gave the instructions regarding his killing," he added.

After offering numerous contradictory explanations for Khashoggi's disappearance, Riyadh said last week Khashoggi had been killed and his body dismembered when "negotiations" to convince him to return to Saudi Arabia failed. The public prosecutor said it would seek the death penalty for five suspects in the case.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said the killing was ordered at the "highest levels" of the Saudi government but has not directly accused Prince Mohammed. Saudi Arabia has denied that the prince ordered Khashoggi's killing.

U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Crown Prince M. bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, ordered the Oct. 2 killing of Khashoggi, according to a U.S. official familiar with the assessment. Others familiar with the case caution that while it's likely that the crown prince had a role in the death there continue to be questions about the degree to which he was involved.

Turkey has also handed to the United States a list of 84 individuals that it wants extradited, Çavuşoğlu said, over their links with Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) leader Fetullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt.

He added that Ankara had passed on the list following a telephone conversation between Erdoğan and Trump.

Snowden accuses Israeli cybersecurity firm of enabling Khashoggi murder

US whistleblower Edward Snowden accused an Israeli cybersecurity firm of developing and selling surveillance software to Saudi Arabia, enabling the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, at a conference in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

Snowden, who was speaking at the conference via video-link from an undisclosed location in Russia, claimed that Israeli company NSO Group had sold Saudi Arabia software that was used to bug the phone of one of Khashoggi’s friends.

He said that the role the firm and their software played in Khashoggi’s murder is “one of the major stories that’s not being written about.”

“They are the worst of the worst in selling these burglary tools that are being actively, currently used to violate the human rights of dissidents, opposition figures, activists, to some pretty bad players,” Snowden told his audience.

YPG claims 42 Turkish soldiers and rebels killed in October attacks

The Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG) released a new statement this week that detailed their operations in northern Syria last month.

According to the YPG, their forces killed at least 42 Turkish soldiers and rebels during their operations in October.

Of the 42 killed, at least three were Turkish soldiers and the remaining were rebels loyal to Ankara.

Furthermore, the YPG said they destroyed eight military vehicles that belonged to the Turkish-backed rebels.

All of the YPG’s operations were conducted inside the Afrin region of northwest Aleppo; this area was captured by the Turkish-backed rebels in early March of this year.

Saudi's handling of Khashoggi case 'worst cover-up ever' - Trump

US. President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Saudi efforts to hide Jamal Khashoggi's murder "worst cover-up ever", and said he will leave the consequences for Saudi Arabia up to Congress in consultation with him.

"They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly, and the cover up was one of the worst in the history of coverups," Trump told reporters at the White House.

"Whoever thought of that idea is in big trouble, should be in big trouble," Trump said. He noted that Saudi Arabia is in a "nasty part of the world" but that was not an excuse.

When asked about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks about the killing of Saudi journalist Khashoggi, Trump said his comments were "pretty rough" but he criticized Riyadh's handling of the matter.

Trump said he wanted to get all the facts on Khashoggi's death at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul before agreeing with Erdoğan's assessment. Trump, who sent his CIA director to Turkey to discuss the issue, said he expected to have a report pretty soon

Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. He was never seen exiting the diplomatic facility.

Saudi Arabia has claimed Khashoggi, a writer for The Washington Post who wrote critically about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, died accidentally in a brawl at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul that day.

But Turkish officials say a 15-men team tortured, killed and dismembered the writer and say Saudi officials had planned the killing for days.

Source: dailysabah

Video: US forces clash with Turkish backed forces in northern Syria

A US official confirmed coalition forces exchanged fire with armed groups on October 15 near Manbij as suspicions rise that they were Turkish-backed rebel factions.

“They [coalitions forces] received gunfire from undisclosed persons and returned fire, and it ended quickly, skirmish at best,” Army Colonel Sean Ryan, Spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), Said

“But we don’t know who fired and it was during a US-MMC [Manbij Military Council] patrol,” he added.

Germany will halt Saudi arms sales until Khashoggi case cleared up: Merkel

The killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate is a “monstrosity,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stated, adding that Berlin will not sell arms to Riyadh while the issue remains unclear.

Her comment reiterates a statement made on Sunday, in which she said there is an “urgent need for clarification of exactly what happened” to Khashoggi and condemned his killing “in the strongest terms.”

Her comment about Germany refusing to sell arms to Riyadh while the issue remains unclear is significant, as the country approved weapons exports to Saudi Arabia worth €416.4 million this year, reportedly making Riyadh Germany’s second-best arms customer after Algeria

Earlier on Monday, Germany urged other EU states to follow its example of ending arms exports to Saudi Arabia so long as uncertainty remains over what exactly happened to Khashoggi.

Source: RT

Turkey will ‘reveal’ full truth behind Khashoggi’s death on Tuesday: Erdogan

Turkey will reveal the full truth surrounding the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Tuesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, according to AFP.

The announcement comes just two days after Erdogan spoke with Saudi King Salman, where both agreed to continue cooperation with the investigation into the journalist’s death.

On Saturday, Omer Celik, a spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), also stated that Ankara would “reveal whatever had happened” to Khashoggi, saying that “nobody should ever doubt about it.”

Turkey previously stated that the journalist was killed by a Saudi assassination squad, while Saudi Arabia has said he died in a “fistfight” inside the consulate.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist who was critical of the Saudi royal family, was last seen on October 2 when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Source: RT

Breaking: Saudi Arabia admits death of Khashoggi

The initial Saudi investigation into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has found that he is dead, Saudi-based Al-Ekhrabiya reported.

According to the report, the Saudi investigators are probing at least 18 suspects; they are all Saudi nationals.

Furthermore, King Salman has dismissed the Deputy Intelligence Chief General Ahmed Al-Assir, along with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s closest aide Saud Al-Qahtani.

Khashoggi was reportedly killed after a fight broke out inside the Saudi Consulate; his body is still missing.

The Saudi government is still investigating the case in coordination with the Turkish state, the report added.

Several civilians killed & injured by terror attacks in Aleppo city

One civilian was killed , and material damage was caused to houses when terrorist groups positioned in southwestern countryside of Aleppo fired shells on residential neighbourhoods in Aleppo city.

The terrorists on Thursday evening fired a rocket shell on al-Sabil neighbourhood in Aleppo, killing one civilian and causing material damage to a number of houses.

Also, the terrorist groups attacked with a rocket shell al-Mokambo neighborhood , causing only material damage.

Units of the Syrian Arab Army have responded to the attacks by targeting the areas from which the shells were launched, inflicting heavy losses upon the militants in personnel and arms.

Breaking: ‘It certainly looks like’ Khashoggi is dead, consequences will be severe – Trump

The missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi appears to be dead, US President Donald Trump has told reporters, saying there would be “severe” consequences for whoever is behind it.

“It certainly looks that way to me,” Trump said when asked if Khashoggi was dead. “It’s very sad.

Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey two weeks ago. Turkey has accused Saudi Arabia of sending a hit squad to abduct and assassinate the journalist, who wrote a column for the Washington Post. Riyadh has denied responsibility.

Potential consequences for Saudi Arabia “will have to be very severe,” Trump told reporters on Thursday, before departing for Montana. “I mean it’s bad, bad stuff, but we’ll see what happens.”

Source: RT

Turkish official tells CNN that Jamal Khashoggi’s body was cut up after he was killed

An unnamed Turkish official told a CNN correspondent on Tuesday that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was cut up after he was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

The CNN claim comes just hours after Turkish police announced that they have found evidence of foul play inside the Saudi Consulate.

As of now, both Turkey and Saudi Arabia are investigating Khashoggi’s disappearance inside the Saudi Consulate in an effort to solve the case.

Prior to his disappearance, Khashoggi was a well-known Arab journalist and columnist for the Washington Post.

BREAKING: Jihadists in Syria's Idlib vow to continue fight as deadline looms

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham known as HTS published a statement today officially rejecting Idlib agreement that was signed between Russia and Turkey.

In the statement which was published across the social media, HTS stated that they will not hand in any of their heavy weapons adding that their weapons is a red-line for them and there is no negotiation regarding their red-line.

Idlib agreement was signed by Russia and Turkey at a meeting in Sochi on Sept 17

Russia and Turkey agreed to a diplomatic solution for Syria’s northern Idlib province at a meeting in Sochi on Sept. 17.

The deal sets up a demilitarized zone running 15-20 kilometers (9-13 miles) deep into rebel territory that must be evacuated of all heavy weapons and all jihadist groups by Monday, Oct. 15.

The deadline for Jihadists to retreat from the demilitarized zone ends by tomorrow.

Idlib buffer zone agreement is temporary - Russia

The agreement on a demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib has a temporary character and the conflict will be over only when the Syrian government regains control over the entire territory of the country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with RT France, Paris Match and Le Figaro.

“Indeed, it is a temporary agreement. The end of the story will be only the Syrian people regains control of the country and all those who are staying in Syria, especially those who were never invited there, leave that country. It is clear for all,” the Russian foreign ministry quoted him as saying.

The September 17 talks between the Russian and Turkish Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Russia’s Sochi yielded and agreement to establish a demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib, along the contact line between government troops and the opposition by October 15.

It is planned to withdraw the opposition’s tanks, multiple missile launcher systems, artillery systems and mortars from this zone. Control in this zone will be exercised by mobile patrol groups of Turkish troops and unites of Russian military police.

Idlib is the only large region in Syria that is still controlled by illegal armed groups. In 2017, a northern de-escalation zone was established in Idlib to give shelter to militants and their families who are reluctant to voluntarily surrender arms.

According to United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, about 10,000 Jabhat al-Nusra and al-Qaeda (both outlawed in Russia) militants are currently staying in the region.

Turkish-Saudi Team To Investigate Khashoggi Disappearance

A joint Turkish-Saudi team will investigate the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi upon the Saudi Arabia request, Presidential Advisor Ibrahim Kalın said on Thursday.

Kalın told Anadolu Agency: “Within the framework of a close cooperation between Turkey and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and upon the suggestion of the Kingdom, a joint working team between Turkey and Saudi Arabia will be formed to investigate the case of Khashoggi in all its aspects.”

Khashoggi, journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has been missing since he entered the consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Turkish authorities suspect he was killed. Saudi Arabia denies any involvement in his disappearance.

On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said Saudi authorities notified Ankara that they were “open to cooperation” and would allow the consulate building to be searched.

Turkish police investigating the case said in a statement Saturday that 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and entered the consulate while Khashoggi was inside. On Tuesday, footage and identities of the “assassination” squad were made public.

Khashoggi had been living in self-imposed exile in the U.S. since last year.

VIDEO: Turkey builds wall along borders with Syria in northern latakia

Turkey continues to carry out construction works at the borders with Syria in northern latakia in what can be viewed as a unilateral demarcation of borders.

Heavy machineries, trucks and bulldozers were spotted digging up grooves in order to erect a wall all the way to the maritime point separating the two countries i.e. al-Samra village on the Mediterranean.

Turkey has deployed 12 observation outposts in northern Syria to monitor the de-escalation zone agreement as per Astana talks with the other guarantor states; Russia and Iran.

The Turkish government has been involved in supporting militants fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad since the outbreak of the uprising in 2011.

According to Anadolu Agency, Syrian rebels finished withdrawing all their heavy weapons from the front lines in the northwestern province of Idlib on Monday.

This comes as part of a deal reached between Russia and Turkey to demilitarize the front lines between Syrian government forces and the opposition in and around the province.

Naji al-Mustafa, spokesman for the National Front for Liberation, a Turkish-backed umbrella group, said Sunday the alliance had unanimously agreed to implement the deal reached last month and expected to demilitarize 15-20 kilometers (9-12 miles) along the front lines by Oct. 15.