AFP - Turkish police on Monday detained four Iraqis suspected of planning an attack on the US embassy in Ankara, media reported.

The group were held during anti-terror raids in the Black Sea province of Samsun, Hurriyet daily said, after the US mission in the capital announced it would close Monday because of a "security threat".

REUTERS - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday a military operation in Syria’s Kurdish-controlled Afrin region had begun after cross-border shelling by the Turkish army.

AFP - Turkish authorities on Friday reinstated more than 1,800 civil servants in an emergency decree after finding they had no links to a group blamed for the 2016 failed coup.

AFP - Turkey on Wednesday warned Iran and Russia to hold back the Syrian regime in bombing the rebel-held northern Idlib province, as tensions mounted ahead of mooted peace talks later this month.

Ankara has been working closely with Russia and Iran to end the Syrian conflict over the last months but has stepped up pressure on Moscow and Tehran as the bombardments on Idlib intensified.

AFP - Drones that attacked Russian bases in Syria last week were sent from Idlib, a "de-escalation" zone controlled by anti-Damascus fighters, the Russian defence ministry's official newspaper said Wednesday.

REUTERS - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday that relations with the United States were harmed by Washington’s refusal to extradite cleric Fetullah Gulen and its provision of arms to the Kurdish militant YPG.

Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency, Cavusoglu said that ties between the NATO allies could be harmed further if Washington does not correct its mistakes.

REUTERS - French President Emmanuel Macron told his Turkish counterpart on Friday that democratic countries had to respect the rule of law in their fight against terrorism as he voiced concerns about the fate of students, teachers and journalists in Turkey.

Macron said after talks with Tayyip Erdogan at the Elysee presidential palace that they had disagreements about how they saw human rights.