A foreign national linked to a Free Syrian Army faction has died after a bomb exploded in his car in Turkey’s southern province of Hatay, local officials said. Hatay Governor Ercan Topaca told Anadolu Agency that 44-year-old Cemil Radun was a commander in the Sukur El-Gap group, which is linked to the anti-Bashar al-Assad Free Syrian Army. Source Anadolu Agency
Turkey’s central bank demoted at least nine high-ranking officials including chief economist Hakan Kara, two officials said. The bank’s heads of research, banking, risk management and institutional transformation are among those who are getting new roles. This comes after Recep Tayyip Erdogan fired the governor last month for not cutting rates fast enough. Source: Reuters, Bloomberg
Turkey’s counter-terrorism operations will move forward to a “different phase” in northern Syria soon, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Aug. 6. “We wiII move the process which we started with the Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations [in northern Syria] forward to a different phase very soon,” Erdoğan said at the 11th Ambassadors’ Conference. Source Hurriyet daily news
Cyprus has strongly protested at the UN over Turkey’s violations of the island’s national airspace, the infringements of international air traffic regulations and the illegal use of closed ports and airports. Source: Ekathimerini
