[This article first appeared in The New Republic, October 30, 2019] The elimination of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi amid the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria is exposing an enduring and underappreciated reality of the Middle East: the Islamic State has always had a special relationship with Turkish National Intelligence Office, known by its...
Category: Turkey
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A No-Fly Zone Can Limit the Damage Caused By Turkey
Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan anticipated strong criticism of Trump for withdrawing US troops and giving Turkey a green light to invade. Erdogan wasted no time after their phone call on October 8, launching air strikes the next day and deploying ground troops before Trump could change his mind. At this stage, the US should take...
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Turkish Paper Publishes Saudi Hit Squad’s Gruesome Conversations During Khashoggi’s Murder
The conversations recorded prior to and during the Oct. 2, 2018 murder of the dissident journalist at the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate were obtained by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) right after the gruesome incident, and were shared with related Turkish authorities carrying out an investigation into the incident, as well as with international officials and...
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Big Brother? New Turkish App Enables Expats to Report Erdogan Critics
The German counterintelligence service, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), has accused the Turkish intelligence agency, MIT, of developing an app used to report on Turkish expats living in Germany. The mobile app is designed to encourage “loyal” Turkish expats to inform on Turks living in Germany who sympathize with the...
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Inside Turkey’s National Intelligence Office, MIT
(From Top World Intelligence Agencies) The founder of modern-day Turkey, Mustafa Kamal Ataturk, created the country’s intelligence service in 1925. In 1985, the agency was renamed National Intelligence Office, Millî İstihbarat Teşkilatı (MİT) and placed under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister’s office. MIT in the news: NBA Star Has Reason to Fear Turkey’s Intelligence Service (01/08/2019)...