Turkish Armed Forces

The Turkish Navy and the Coast Guard have saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of irregular migrants in the waters of the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, vowing that the government's efforts to turn the Turkish Naval Forces into the strongest fleet of the world will continue uninterruptedly.

A U.S. journalist, banned from entering Turkey since 2016, has been detected trapping many Turkish citizens, including military personnel, on social media with a motive to gather confidential information about the movements and status of the Turkish military in Libya, Syria and Azerbaijan, Demirören News Agency reported on April 19.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has expressed suspicion over the possibility of intentionally leaving mines in the Black Sea in a bid to pave the way for NATO minesweepers to enter these waters.

Aselsan has denied claims that the shares of the company, majority owned by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation, would be sold to foreign investors.

The company reserves its legal rights against those false claims and media reports based on those claims, a company statement read late on Dec. 7.

Turkey's defense minister said he had a "positive" meeting with his Greek counterpart in Brussels, on the sidelines of a gathering of their NATO colleagues.

"We had a positive and constructive meeting with the Greek defense minister (Nikos Panagiotopoulos)," Hulusi Akar told reporters late on Oct. 22.

"We expect to see the positive results of this meeting in the coming days."

Turkish Defense Ministry sources have refuted media reports that five generals requested retirement, saying that the demands of the two generals who requested retirement due to health and family reasons were accepted, the state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

Any threats against Azerbaijan will be looked upon as threats against Turkey, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said.

Despite the tension and intensity at the Kabul International Airport following the Taliban's takeover, the smooth and speedy evacuation of the Turkish troops and other officials has proved the strength of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), the defense minister has said.

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A second batch of Turkish troops evacuated from the Afghan capital Kabul landed home in the Turkish capital on Aug. 27. 

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The plane carrying Turkish Armed Forces personnel from Afghanistan landed in Ankara at 13.10 p.m. local time (1010GMT).

Turkish troops are returning to their homeland from Afghanistan, the defense ministry announced on Aug. 25.

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"Turkish Armed Forces are returning to their homeland with pride of successfully fulfilling task entrusted to them," the ministry said in a statement.