Turkish, US officials discuss US-based cleric's extradition

Ankara, 23 August 2016 (MIA) - Officials say Turkish and American justice officials are discussing Turkey's demands for the extradition of a U.S.-based cleric accused of masterminding last month's failed coup attempt, AP reported.

Turkey's Justice Ministry says its officials opened talks Tuesday with U.S. Justice Department and State Department officials in the capital, Ankara.

Fethullah Gulen has lived in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania for the past 17 years in self-imposed exile. He has denied any involvement in the July 15 coup attempt that claimed 270 lives.

The U.S. government has asked for firm evidence before considering extradition. Senior officials in the Obama administration say Turkey's extradition requests have been based on allegations of other crimes against Gulen, not evidence of involvement in the coup attempt. ba/16:59

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Turkey evacuates town amid anti-IS Syria campaign

Istanbul, 23 August 2016 (MIA) - Turkey has ordered residents in the town of Karkamis to evacuate after it was hit by mortars from so-called Islamic State militants in Syria, the BBC reports. 

Karkamis lies just across the border from Jarablus, an IS-held town which Turkish-backed rebels are expected to try to capture in the coming days.

A rebel force is massed in the area and preparing the offensive.

Turkey blames IS for a bomb attack that killed dozens of people in the south of the country at the weekend.

It says the group must now be cleared from the border region, and has been bombarding targets across the border in northern Syria ahead of an expected ground attack.

Turkey has also shelled Syrian Kurdish forces nearby, apparently to deter them from taking Jarablus themselves.

The order to evacuate Karkamis came by loudspeaker, and minibuses were sent in to transport those without cars.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that IS should be "completely cleansed" from areas in northern Syria near its border.

Turkish forces have been exchanging shellfire with IS positions in the Jarablus area since Monday. lk/20:25

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President Thaci against calls on opposition to support Kosovo - Montenegro border demarcation

Pristina, 24 August 2016 (MIA) - Kosovan President Hashim Thaci again called on the opposition to support the proposed border demarcation treaty with Montenegro, after a bomb blast aimed at the public TV station was allegedly set by opponents of the agreement.

"The closer we come to the day of the Parliament session when we are supposed to ratify the agreement, the more Kosovo shows its determination to follow a Euro-Atlantic path. Newly presented facts show that we have made no concessions regarding the border, and not a square meter of territory was ceded to Montenegro", Thaci wrote through his social media accounts.

He blamed opponents of the deal, from the Kosovan opposition, of doing so for personal and political gain. The Thaci led coalition does not have enough votes in Parliament to ratify the treaty and needs support from the opposition on 1 September, when the vote is set. United States and European Union called on the members of Parliament to support the deal that may also affect Montenegro's process of joining NATO.cc/10:24

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Turkey operations against Islamic State, Kurdish PYD to secure border, Erdogan says

Ankara, 24 August 2016 (MIA) - Turkey has started operations targeting Islamic State and Syrian Kurdish fighters in northern Syria to end attacks on Turkey's border, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.

Turkish special forces units and jets supported by warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition launched an operation in northern Syria on Wednesday to wipe out Islamic State militants along the border, Turkish officials said, Reuters reported.

"At 4:00 this morning, operations started in the north of Syria against terror groups which constantly threaten our country, like Daesh and the PYD," he said in a speech in Ankara.

Daesh is an Arabic name for Islamic state, while PYD refers to the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters.

A member of the U.S. coalition against Islamic State in Syria, Turkey disagrees with Washington's support for Syrian Kurdish rebels. Ankara worries Syrian Kurdish advances in Syria against Islamic State will embolden Kurdish insurgents in Turkey.