Turkey

Article

Turkey

July 20, 2016

Chronology - 2011

Turkey largely avoided the protests and instability of the Arab Spring in 2011. The Justice and Development Party (AKP), Turkey’s ruling center-right Islamist party, won its third straight parliamentary election in 2011, led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It had first gained a majority in 2002.

June 12: The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) a decisive victory in parliamentary elections, securing about half of the vote. Erdogan embarks on his third term in office.

June: Thousands of Syrian refugees flee to Turkey, sometimes a totaling a few hundred in a single .

Oct. 19: Some 100 fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) remote army outposts near Turkey’s southeastern border with Iraq, killing 24 people. Ankara responds with air and ground assaults on Kurdish militants in Iraq.

2012
Despite the AKP’s success between 2003 and 2011, instability in the region – particularly Syria – presented a challenge to the ruling party. Turkey’s regional and international allies grew frustrated with the AKP’s support for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and its hesitancy to stem the flow of fighters to Syria between 2012 and 2014.

June 12: Erdogan that students in state schools will be able to study the Kurdish language for the first time. The move is widely seen as a concession to the Kurds who make up some 20 percent of Turkey’s population.

June 22: Syrian forces down a Turkish warplane over the Mediterranean Sea after it allegedly violated their airspace. Less than two weeks later, President Assad says that he “” the jet’s downing.

July 25: Turkey the border with Syria to commercial traffic after Syrian rebels seized two crossing points. Turkey the border with military troops.

September: Turkish fighter jets and attack helicopters attack PKK camps near Turkey’s southeastern border with Iraq. Dozens of Kurdish and Turkish are killed.

Sept. 17: Erdogan over 500 PKK militants have been killed in one month by Turkish security forces.

Sept. 18: The PKK a military convoy with a rocket; killing 10 soldiers and injuring 70 others.

Sept. 20: The People’s Voice Party (HSP) - a conservative opposition party - and joins the AKP after its chairman Numan Kurtulmuş accepts a request by Prime Minister Erdogan.

Nov. 15: Turkey the Syrian National Coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

2013
Turkey suffered attacks as a result of its shared border with Syria in 2013. Parliament amended its anti-terrorism law to comply with EU demands. Turkey membership talks to the EU also resumed.��

Feb. 19: Turkey a group of Kurdish former mayors accused of links to PKK militants as peace talks between Turkey and jailed PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, begin.

March 4: Erdogan the media of trying to undermine the Kurdish peace process with its coverage.

March 31: Ocalan for a ceasefire between Kurdish rebels and the Turkish state. He urges his followers to withdraw from Turkish soil - a turning point in the three-decade long conflict.

April 12: Parliament passes an of its anti-terrorism law narrowing the definition of terrorist propaganda in accordance with European Union demands.

April 25: Murat Karayilan, the PKK military leader, announces the of PKK fighters from Turkey. The PKK shows reluctance to .��

May 8: PKK rebels begin to from Turkey to northern Iraq.

May 11: explode in Reyhanli, a Turkish border town near Syria, killing and injuring 100 others. Turkey blames the Syrian government, but Syria the claim.

June 24: Germany, backed by Austria and the Netherlands, discussions on Turkey’s membership to the European Union citing Erdogan’s harsh response to Gezi Park protests.

June 25: Ocalan announces the of the PKK-Turkey peace process as he presents a new proposal to the Turkish state and after Kurdish fighters’ withdrawal from Turkey.

Oct. 8: Turkey a 90-year-old ban on women wearing the Islamic head scarf in state institutions, except in military and judicial institutions.��

Nov. 5: European Union resumes talks with Turkey on to the European Union.

Nov. 21: Erdogan prep-schools owned by the Gülen movement, a religious and social movement led by the Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

December 2013 - January 2014: The government dozens of police officials involved in investigating bribery and corruption allegations. Erdogan supporters of Gülen - who has strong ties with the police and judiciary – believing Gülen to be behind the investigation.

2014
After being elected president in 2014, Erdogan sought to concentrate power in the presidency, and the AKP turned increasingly hegemonic and authoritarian. Erdogan silenced most of the critical voices in the media and engaged in a witch-hunt against the followers of Fetullah Gulen, a U.S.-based imam. On April 29, 2014, Erdogan sought to extradite Gulen from the United States on charges of attempting to overthrow the Turkish government.

March 1: Parliament passes a bill to private preparatory schools - from the Hizmet movement led by Gülen.

March 20 - 26: The government to Twitter after wiretapped recordings are leaked through the social media outlet. Days later, a court in Turkey the government’s ban.

March 23: Turkey a Syrian warplane after it allegedly violated Turkish airspace.

April 25: President Gül signs the authority of the National Intelligence Organization, including the access to private and public information without a court order and immunity from prosecution.

April 29: Erdogan says Turkey will to extradite Gülen from the United States on charges of trying to undermine the Turkish government.

Aug. 10: Erdogan is president.

Oct. 2: Parliament overwhelmingly approves a authorizing the use of military force in both Syria and Iraq and allowing foreign forces to establish bases inside Turkey.

Oct. 7-12: Kurdish demonstrators gather to protest the Turkish government’s for Kurds who are besieged by ISIS in the border town of Kobani. Clashes break out, leaving 35 people dead. Meanwhile, PKK commanders the peace process with Turkey will depend on its support of Kurdish forces in Kobani.

Oct. 16: A Turkish prosecutor drops the corruption case that led to the biggest crisis faced by Erdogan in more than a decade in power.

Nov. 17: Media outlets linked to Gülen claim to be from the presidential palace since Erdogan became president.

Dec. 14: Turkish police conducts raids and at least 23 people, including journalists and producers with links to Gülen.

Dec. 19: A Turkish court issues an for Gülen, accusing him of heading a criminal gang.

2015
In June 2015, the AKP lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since 2002. The following month, an ISIS-linked suicide bomber killed at least 30 people in the border town of Suruc. In October, twin bombings killed more than 90 people at an Ankara peace rally – one of the deadliest attacks in modern Turkish history. Turkey began conducting airstrikes against ISIS and Kurdish militants in Syria. The AKP regained its parliamentary majority during snap elections in November – in part because it promoted a narrative of stability in the wake of the attacks.

Feb. 25: Turkish police officers at least 40 fellow officers accused of wiretapping President Erdogan and top government officials in a wave of raids in 19 cities across the country.

March 21: Ocalan for his fighters to disarm and end conflict with the Turkish government.

March 27: Parliament overwhelmingly a new security law that broadens police powers and allows the use of firearms against demonstrators.

June 5: Two explosions 2 people and injure 100 others at a rally for the pro-Kurdish HDP party, in the predominantly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, two days before parliamentary elections.

June 7: The AKP the parliamentary majority it had retained since 2002.. For the first time in Turkey’s history, the HDP gains representation in Parliament.

July 9: Erdogan a formal mandate to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to form a new coalition government in a 45-day period.

July 20: A Turkish suicide bomber 30 people and injures 100 others at a cultural center in the Turkish border town of Suruc. The Turkish government blames ISIS for the attack.

July 20-22: Clashes between Turkish security forces and protesters who gathered in Istanbul and Ankara to the government’s response to the Suruc attacks. The PKK’s military wing responsibility for the killing of two police officers in revenge for the bombings in Suruc.

July 23: Turkey in direct cross-border combat with ISIS and grants permission for American warplanes to conduct strikes from two Turkish air bases.��

July 25- 29: Turkey PKK militants in northern Iraq for the first time in four years.

��ܲ�,2:�� PKK militants conduct a outside a military station in the eastern Agri province, killing two soldiers and leaving 31 wounded.

Aug. 25: Coalition talks between the AKP and opposition parties collapse. President Erdogan for a snap election.��

Aug. 29: Turkey the first wave of airstrikes against ISIS in Syria as part of the U.S.-led coalition.

Sept. 7-8: PKK fighters 16 government soldiers in an ambush near the village of Daglica, in southeast Turkey. Turkish forces Kurdish insurgents in the Iraqi frontier and Turkish ground troops Iraq seeking to capture Kurdish rebels in retaliation. erupt across the country in the wake of the attacks.

Oct. 10: Two during a peace rally in the city of Ankara kill 95 people and injure 246 wounded - the deadliest terrorist attack in Turkey’s modern history according to officials.��

Oct. 11: Thousands take over the streets of and to the government’s response to the terrorist attacks, as well as press and social media censorship. Some protesters call for President Erdogan to resign.

Oct. 27: Turkey airstrikes against Kurdish militias in Syria - the main Syrian allies the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS.

Nov. 2: The AKP its majority in Parliament with 49.3 percent of the popular vote in the second round of general elections.��

Nov. 24: Turkey a Russian warplane along the Syrian border after allegedly violating Turkish airspace. Turkish-Russian and relations are strained as a result.��

Dec. 22: Turkey operations to seal off the Turkish-Syrian border under growing pressure from Europe and the U.S. regarding flows of refugees and jihadist fighters.

2016
In 2016, Istanbul and Ankara witnessed a wave of bombings by Kurdish militants and ISIS. On June 28, more than 40 people were killed in a triple suicide bombing at Istanbul's Ataturk airport. Turkish officials blamed ISIS for the attack, though no group immediately claimed responsibility. Less than a month later, a military faction attempted to overthrow Erdogan. He accused Gulen of orchestrating the plot.��

Jan. 12: A suicide bomber 10 tourists, most of them German, in Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet square. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu blames ISIS for the attack.

Jan 14: A car bomb a police headquarters in Diyarbakir province, in southeastern Turkey, leaving 6 people dead and at least 39 wounded. The Turkish government blames the blast on PKK militants.

Feb. 17: The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks, also known as TAK, responsibility for the car bomb on military buses near the armed forces’ headquarters in Ankara that killed 28 people and wounded 61 others.

March 4: A , which are blamed on PKK militants, kill two police officers and injure 35 people in the southeastern province of Mardin.�� Confrontations erupt between security forces and militants after the explosions.

March 5: Clashes between Turkish police and protesters as Turkish authoritiesZaman, the country’s most circulated newspaper, after a court ruling puts it under government control.��

March 13-15: A leaves 37 people dead and injures more than 100 in the second attack in under a month in the Turkish capital of Ankara. The government blames the PKK for the attack and with airstrikes against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.

March 17: Militants from the TAK, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks, for Ankara’s deadly attack.

March 18: The European Union and Turkey to restrict refugee flows to countries in the European Union. In accordance to the agreement, Turkey is to receive $6.6 billion in aid, visa-free travel for Turkish citizens in most of Europe and resumption of negotiations on Turkey’s membership to the European Union.��

March 19: A suicide bomber 5 people and injures 36 others on Istiklal street, one of Istanbul’s busiest shopping street. Turkish officials blame ISIS for the attack.

March 23-March 25: The PKK continues to Turkish security forces. Turkey retaliates with airstrikes against PKK in northern Iraq and southeast Turkey.

March 23: Prime Minister Davutoglu that the AKP will present a draft for a new constitution to parliament by the end of April.

June 7: TAK militants kill 11 people in a suicide car bombing in Istanbul.

June 28: Three suicide bombers kill at least 40 people at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul.��

July 15: A faction in the Turkish military attempts a coup d'etat. Erdogan blames U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen and his supporters, but Gulen denies involvement. The government arrests or suspends more than 50,000 people, including soldiers, judges, teachers, and bureaucrats.

July 18: Turkey attempted coup fails.

Aug. 20: A bomb kills 30 at a wedding in southeastern Turkey. ISIS claims responsibility.

Aug. 24: Turkey launches its troops into Northern Syria, marking their biggest military involvement in the country thus far.

Sept. 7: Erdogan says he will join the U.S. forces to free Raqa, Iraq from ISIS

Oct. 3: Turkey detains brother of Fethullah Gulen, Kutbettin Gulen

Oct. 4: Turkey suspends 12,800 police officers with a charge of being linked to the attempted coup.

Oct. 18: ISIS claims an attack outside a police station in Istanbul, killing 20.

Oct. 31: Turkey detains 12 prominent opposition journalists

Nov. 3: Turkey detains two leaders of the People’s Democratic Party, Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, as part of a counterterrorism investigation.

Dec. 10: 38 people are killed and 136 wounded after in Istanbul. The first bomb is a car bomb targeting police officers outside of a soccer stadium. The second bomb is a suicide bomb in a nearby park.

Dec. 17: A car bomb 13 and wounds more than 50 military members in the city Kayseri. The bomb targeted a bus carrying soldiers on leave.

Dec. 19: A 22-year-old off-duty police officer Russia’s ambassador to Turkey at an Ankara art exhibit. Three others are wounded in the assault and the gunmen is shot and killed by officers following the attack.

2017

Turkey suffered a devastating ISIS attack in the opening hours of 2017, that left 39 people dead at a nightclub in Istanbul. Turkey stepped up its counter-terrorism operations domestically and in Syria in response.��

Jan.1-2: At least 39 people are and dozens wounded after a man opens fire at a nightclub in Istanbul in the early hours of New Year’s Day. ISIS responsibility for the attack.

Jan. 16: Turkish authorities suspect in the New Year’s Day Istanbul nightclub shooting. Authorities say he is an Uzbek national and Islamic State militant. Four others are arrested at the residence of the primary suspect as well.

Feb. 5: Turkish police approximately 450 people they suspect of being Islamic State operates in a series of raids. This is one of Turkey’s largest operations against the Islamic State to date.

Feb. 20: The of 47 ex-soldiers who are charged with trying to kill President Erdogan during the July 2016 coup begins. Prosecutors are seeking life sentences in the trial.

March 9: U.S.-backed alliance of Syrian militias that Turkey must have no role in the campaign to capture the city of Raqqa from ISIS.

Turkey it would strike the U.S.-backed Kurdish YPG militia if it did not leave the Syrian town of Manbij. Turkey believes their presence disrupts its efforts to create a “safe zone” along the Turkish border.

March 9-10: Turkey’s military shells Syrian government forces and their allies in northern Syria, causing deaths and injuries. Syria U.N. to make Turkey withdraw following the shelling incident.

March 10: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to build cooperation over military operations in Syria against the Islamic State.

March 13: Syrian rebels, backed by Turkish forces, some towns near northern Syria’s Manbij in an advance against Islamic State militants south of Turkey’s border.

Turkey, Russia, and Iran to proceed with a new round of Syria talks in Kazakhstan despite a request by Syrian rebels to delay the meeting.

March 15: Kurdish militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) a mine on a highway between the southeastern provinces of Diyarbakir and Mardin, killing two Turkish soldiers.

March 22: The Syrian Kurdish YPG Turkey shelled a predominately Kurdish region in northern Syria wounding 10 civilians. Turkey it fired into the Kurdish territory after one of its soldiers was killed by a sniper from across the border.

March 23: A Turkish soldier is and four others are wounded after an attack by PKK militants in southeastern Turkey.

March 24: U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura Russia, Iran and Turkey need to hold more ceasefire talks in order to bring the ground situation under control.

March 25: Turkey’s foreign ministry the Swiss envoy to complain about a protest in Bern that Turkey claims supported terrorism. The protest included a poster calling for the assassination of President Erdogan.��

March 29: Prime Minister Binali Yildirim Turkey has ended its “Euphrates Shield” military operation in Syria. The operation was launched in August 2016. Turkey sent troops, tanks and warplanes to support Free Syrian Army rebels in their fight against the Islamic State.

March 30: U.S. Secretary of State Tillerson in Turkey to discuss the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State.

April 5: Turkey Germany a new list with additional information about individuals with suspected links to terrorist groups.

April 6: Turkish airstrikes eight PKK militants in southeast Turkey following a clash between Turkish soldiers and the PKK at a military outpost.

April 7: Turkish authorities a Syrian air force pilot whose plane crashed in Turkey in March 2017 on charges of espionage and violation of border security.

Turkey’s foreign minister Syrian President Bashar al Assad must be removed immediately. “If he doesn’t want to go, if there is not transition government, and if he continues committing humanitarian crimes, the necessary steps to oust him should be taken.”

April 11-12: A bomb in a police compound in Diyarbakir killing one and wounding several. The Turkish Interior Minister initially reports the blast was accidental and “there is no outside interference.” The PKK, however, responsibility for the attack in a statement on its website, which says militants planted more than 2.5 tonnes of explosives under the compound.

April 12: A senior Turkish official Akbarzhon Jalilov, the suspect of the April 3 St. Petersburg metro bombing, entered Turkey in late 2015 and was deported to Russia a year later due to migration violations.

April 14: Turkish police seven suspects who were plotting to carry out attacks in Turkey ahead of a constitutional referendum vote. Two of the individuals detained are suspected members of the Islamic State.

A Turkish soldier and guard are by a roadside bomb in southeastern Turkey. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) are suspected in the attack.��

April 15: PKK militants a guard during an attack on a vehicle carrying an AK Party district official. A second guard is wounded in the attack.

April 17: Turkey state of emergency by three months following the failed coup attempt in July 2016. This is the third extension.

April 20: President Erdogan he will meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on May 16-17.

Russian investigators the suspect in the St. Petersburg metro bombing received money from an “international terrorist group” in Turkey. Fourteen people were killed in the attack in April.

April 21: The United States it killed an Islamic State operative in a secret military ground operation who was linked to the attack on a Turkish nightclub that left 39 people dead in January.

April 25-26: Turkish airstrikes about 70 Kurdish militants in northeast Syria and Iraq’s Sinjar region. The U.S. the Turkish military gave the U.S. military “inadequate notice” before launching the strikes. Kurdish militants four Turkish military outposts on the border of Syria in response to the deadly airstrikes.

May 3: President Erdogan Turkey will continue to take measures against threats from its borders with Syria and Iraq. “We do not differentiate between terrorist organizations. Daesh, YPG, al Qaeda are all the same for us,” Erdogan says.

Malaysian police two Turkish citizens who are suspected of “activities threatening national security” under a section of the penal code related to “terrorist acts.” One man is the head of an international school and the other a businessman.

May 4: Turkey, Russia and Iran agree to four separate de-escalation zones in Syria for at least six months. The largest de-escalation zone includes Idlib province. Maps of the de-escalation zones will be finalized by June 4.

May 9-10: U.S. President Trump supplying arms to Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters to support an operation to retake Raqqa from the Islamic State. Turkey by warning the U.S. that the decision could end up hurting Washington, and accuses it of siding with terrorists. Turkey views the YPG as the Syrian extension of the Turkish PKK.

May 11: U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis voices his for Turkey’s fight against PKK militants after speaking with Turkey’s Prime Minister. Relations between Turkey and the United States have been strained after the U.S. decided to arm Kurdish fighters in Syria.

May 18: Foreign Minister Cavusoglu he wants Brett McGurk, U.S. special envoy to the coalition against the Islamic State, removed from his post, alleging McGurk supports Kurdish militants.

President Erdogan Turkey will not hesitate to carry out further operations like its Euphrates Shield campaign in northern Syria or retaliate if it faces a threat from the Syrian Kurdish YPG.

May 21: Turkish police two suspected Islamic State militants in a clash that occurs during a raid on an apartment in Ankara. The two men were suspected to be planning an attack. Police seize guns and grenades in the raid.

May 22: Turkey puts 200 , including senior military officers, accused of plotting and orchestrating the failed coup from July 2016 on trial. Prosecutors are calling for life sentences.

May 25: Turkey the Manchester bomber who killed 22 people passed through Istanbul on his way to Europe, but there were no records of him entering Syria during his travels. Officials add that they received no prior warning from European countries about the bomber so they allowed him to travel on to Europe.

PKK militants four Turkish soldiers and a village guard in two different clashes in eastern Turkey.

May 26: Turkish security forces 29 PKK militants in an operation in a mountainous area of eastern Turkey.

May 27-28: Turkey’s military 13 PKK militants in airstrikes carried out in northern Iraq. A separate airstrike in southeastern Turkey kills another 10 PKK militants.

May 31: Kurdish PKK militants three Turkish soldiers during a clash in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir. The deaths come after Turkish airplanes kill two PKK militants earlier in the day.

June 1: Turkish military six PKK militants in airstrikes in northern arrack. The military believes the militants were preparing an attack.

June 4: Turkish security forces eight PKK militants in eastern Turkey. Security forces are searching for another militant who fled after the operation.

June 6: President Erdogan with leaders of Qatar, Russia, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia on lowering tension and resolving the Gulf crisis.

June 9: President Erdogan for lifting the blockade on Qatar and approves legislation on deploying Turkish troops to the country. Qatar was isolated by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain over its alleged support for terrorism.

A Kurdish militant steals and drives a car through a police checkpoint, detonating a bomb in front of the station in a southeastern province. Two soldiers and a civilian are in the explosion.

June 11: U.S. Secretary of State Tillerson and Turkish Foreign Miniter Cavusoglu developments in Syria and the Qatar crisis in a phone call.

June 12: President Erdogan the isolation of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain is a violation of Islamic values and is basically a “death penalty.”

June 13: Turkey 20 PKK militants in airstrikes in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq.

June 14: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to Kuwait after completing his visit to Qatar. The Foreign Minister is trying to end the Gulf dispute between Qatar and other Arab states.

June 15: Turkey a United Nations war crimes judge to seven years in prison on charges of terrorism. A U.N. court says that Turkey’s actions constitute a “further breach of Judge Akay’s protected status,” as U.N. judges have diplomatic immunity under international law.

June 16: President Erdogan a teleconference with French President Macron and Qatari Emir Sheikh al Thani to discuss the current Gulf crisis.

June 22: President Erdogan with Saudi Arabia’s leaders about calming tensions in the region, specifically the Gulf crisis. Turkey also sends its first ship carrying food, as well as a small group of soldiers and armored vehicles to Qatar.

Two Turkish soldiers and one village guard are in the southeastern province of Siirt during clashes with PKK militants.

A stun grenade a wall next to a NATO military area in western Turkey. No casualties are reported.

June 23: Turkey’s Customs and Trade Minister says exports to Qatar have since the Gulf crisis boycott began.

June 25: President Erdogan calls for Turkey to close a military base in Qatar. He also calls the demands set forth by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain an unlawful intervention against Qatar’s sovereignty.

June 27: Kurdish YPG militants open fire on Turkish-backed forces in northern Syria. Turkish forces overnight and destroy militia targets. Turkish warplanes also kill seven PKK fighters in airstrikes in northern Iraq.

June 29: Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus Turkey will retaliate against any cross-border fire from the Kurdish YPG in Syria and will not remain silent in the face of anti-Turkey activities by terror groups.

The Turkish defense ministry Qatar’s defense minister will visit Ankara on June 30 and will hold talks with his Turkish counterpart about the Gulf Crisis.

June 30: President Erdogan with U.S. President Trump about the dispute between Qatar and other Gulf and Arab states. The White House says the presidents discussed ways to resolve the dispute while also “ensuring that all countries work together to stop terrorist funding and to combat extremist ideology.”

July 2: Kurdish militants and kill two officials from the AK Party in southeast Turkey. One victim was the AKP’s deputy head from the Lice district of Diyarbakir province.

July 3: PKK militants a soldier, village guard and three workers in three separate provinces throughout southeastern Turkey. Turkish security forces also announce that they have killed 55 PKK militants in eastern Turkey over the last week.

July 5: Turkey, Russia, and Iran to finalize an agreement on creating four de-escalation zones in Syria. Syria’s lead negotiator says Turkey the adoption of the documents for the de-escalation zones.

President Erdogan Turkey’s support for Qatar saying the demands of other Arab states of the Gulf nation are unacceptable.

Turkey six Islamic State suspects after planning an attack on an opposition march from Ankara to Istanbul. Turkish authorities also 37 other suspected Islamic State militants in anti-terror operations, including one that was carrying more than 5kh of explosives at the Turkey-Syria border.

July 7: Turkey 29 suspected Islamic State militants in Istanbul. 22 of the 29 were foreign nationals Turkey suspects were preparing to travel to Syria.

July 10: Turkish forces with Syrian Kurdish fighters after shelling Kurdish-held towns in northwest Syria.

July 11: Turkish airstrikes 11 PKK militants in two different areas in southeast Turkey.

July 12: Turkish police 44 suspects in anti-terrorist operations, including the suspected planners of the two suicide bomb attacks that occurred in Istanbul in December 2016.

Turkish authorities five during a raid on an Islamic State cell in the city of Konya. Four officers are slightly wounded in the raid.

Turkish Economy Minister it has sent 197 cargo planes, 16 trucks and one ship to Qatar since the Gulf crisis began.

July 14: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu President Erdogan plans to visit the Gulf soon to discuss efforts to resolve the crisis over Qatar. Turkey is a staunch ally of Qatar.

July 17: 17 soldiers are in an explosion in southeast Turkey. The military blames the PKK for planting the explosive that struck the military vehicle.

Turkey its state of emergency rule for another three months. The rule was imposed following the failed coup attempt in July 2016.

Turkish-backed rebels with Kurdish fighters from a U.S.-backed alliance in northwestern Syria.

Andrea Tanco, Cameron Glenn, and Garrett Nada contributed to this chronology.