Persecution of Christians

Last week, Turkey had a strong presence in Japan. A wide delegation under the leadership of the Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) attended the U.N. world conference on ?Disaster Risk Reduction.? The summit was held in Sendai, a town in the northeast of the country.

Three sons of an assistant professor at a Turkish university have joined the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Hürriyet has learned.

Syria's military downed a US drone in the country's west because it was snooping in an area where Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadists are not present, a military source said March 18.

"Did the drone come into Syrian territory just to have a picnic?" asked the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The term "Islamophobia" entered the global political language in the past decade.

PRIZREN - Serb heritage in Kosovo needs protection because the risks from violent acts are still persisting, the Diocese of Raska-Prizren released on Tuesday to mark the 11th anniversary of the March pogrom against Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija.

The topic of the Serb heritage needs to be included in the agenda of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, the Diocese released.

A Turkish government official says that authorities are holding a 21-year-old British woman who was suspected of trying to travel to conflict zones in Syria.
                   
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of government rules against speaking without prior authorization.
                   

BELGRADE - Today marks 11 years since the 2004 March pogrom, when 4,012 Serbs were forced to leave Kosovo-Metohija (KiM) in a wave of ethnic Albanian extremist violence.

A majority of them have never returned to their homes.

Iraq's huge offensive to retake Tikrit from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is being stalled by bombs planted by the jihadists holding out in the city, a militia spokesman said Tuesday.
      

11 years since "March Pogrom" of Serbs in Kosovo

BELGRADE -- Tuesday marks the 11th anniversary of the large scale violence organized in Kosovo against Serbs, known in Serbia as "the March Pogrom."

The two days of rioting and attacks resulted in the deaths of eight Serbs and 11 Albanians and injured 954 people.

As Iraq struggles to protect its ancient sites and heritage from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the United States returned some 60 historical items to the country on March 16, many dating to thousands of years ago.