Turkey's Defense Ministry

Turkey's Defense Ministry on Thursday lashed out at the Republic of Cyprus, after its president, Nikos Christodoulides, reiterated the island nation's aspirations to join NATO.

A joint US-Turkey naval exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean, which was never announced by Ankara, and the statements of outgoing US Ambassador Jeff Flake published by Politico, who stressed that Turkey in times of turmoil is even more important, are seen as signs of cooperation and re-engagement between the two countries.

Top brass from Greece and Turkey will hold a meeting on Friday in Albania as part of confidence-building measures between the two countries, Turkey's Defense Ministry has announced.

The chiefs of the general staffs of the two countries will meet on the sidelines of the 17th Meeting of the Chiefs of the General Staffs of the Balkan Countries.

As part of the confidence-building measures agreed between Turkey and Greece, Greek military officials have visited a Turkish brigade.

Colonel Vardis Harkianakis, commander of Greece's 3rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade, Colonel Georgios Bellos, a defense attache, and Lieutenant Colonel Georgios Alexopoulos visited Turkey's 54th Mechanized Infantry Brigade command on Tuesday.

Turkey's Defense Ministry said it "remained vigilant" regarding Greece's decision to declare two new Marine Parks, one in the Aegean Sea and the other in the Ionian Sea, saying it will not accept "unilateral conditions" in the islands of the Aegean. 

Turkey, via leaks, continues to deny there are limits on the use of the F-16 fighter jets that the US recently agreed to supply.

The US State Department has specifically noted that these jets cannot be used for overflights above Greek islands and Syria.

Five workers have been killed in a blast that rocked an explosives factory in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Saturday, Turkey's Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Turkish forces "neutralized" two YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria, Turkey's Defense Ministry said on Nov. 13.

The terrorists were targeted by Turkish commandos when they tried to infiltrate the Operation Peace Spring area, the ministry said on Twitter.

Turkish authorities use the term "neutralize" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

A Turkish soldier died of injuries sustained in Idlib, Syria, Turkey's Defense Ministry said early on Sept. 12.

The soldier was severely wounded on Sept. 11 in the Idlib de-escalation zone but did not survive despite the best efforts of doctors, it said.

It offered condolences to the family of the soldier, the Turkish Armed Forces, and the Turkish nation.

An explosion outside Kabul airport killed at least 13 people, including children, and wounded many Taliban guards, Reuters quoted a Taliban official as saying on Aug. 26.

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The official said many Taliban guards were wounded.