Hakan Fidan

Turkey
Foreign Minister Fidan still pulls the strings at MIT

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan retains unwavering influence over the intelligence service, the MIT, which he headed for eight years.

The Intelligence Gazette
Protecting state secrets, Rosatom facing DNI, Hakan Fidan and Syria, French DPR and foreign interference

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community, from Moscow to Washington via Ankara and Paris.

RussiaSergey Alpatov gets greater state secrets privileges

United States/RussiaRosatom in DNI's crosshairs

Turkey/SyriaEx-spymaster Hakan Fidan keeps lead on Syria discussions

FranceDPR examining foreign interference

Iraq, Turkey
Turkey's MIT hands control of Makhmur refugee camp to Baghdad

Forced to give in to Turkish intelligence demands, the Iraqi government in Baghdad is conducting an operation to control suspected PKK fighters, with the implicit involvement of the Barzanis' KDP, which remains close to Turkey.

Syria
Hossam Louka active across all fronts, from Syrian countryside to Riyadh and Moscow

Now Bashar al-Assad's top spymaster, Hossam Louka has begun to quietly take the lead on Syria's normalisation processes, both on the international scene and at a local level.

Iraq, Turkey
Baghdad called upon to mediate between the MIT and the PUK

Hugely concerned about the origin of the intelligence that allowed the MIT to attack the Sulaymanyah airport on 7 April, the PUK has called on Baghdad to lead the investigation. It is also hoping to calm down the increasingly tense relations between the Talabani clan and Ankara.

France, Syria
Pro-Damascus Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce makes Paris comeback

The Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce, the industrial and commercial arm of President Bashar Al Assad's regime, attended the recent Franco-Arab Chamber of Commerce summit in Paris, despite continuing French hostility to a rapprochement with Damascus.

The Intelligence Gazette
MIT spending, DC quiet on pilots in China, Sergey Beseda in good form, Tracfin reform toughens, KGB takes swipe at MI6

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community, from Ankara to Moscow via Paris and London.

TurkeyIraq and Syria operations MIT's biggest expense

France/United StatesUS and UK left France out of loop over China pilot training

Russia/UkraineQuestions of Ukraine intel fail to shake Beseda from FSB

FranceFinance ministry's intelligence reform ramps up a notch

United Kingdom/RussiaRussian author takes swipe at MI6

Turkey
Turkey's MIT maps out intelligence academy plans

Following the lead of a number of Western intelligence communities, Turkey is planning to open an intelligence academy, under the aegis of the MIT, headed by spymaster Hakan Fidan.

Syria, United States
USSOCOM keeps troops on ground despite Syria-Turkey talks

After letting its focus on Syria slip, the United States is now having to sit by and watch as the Assad regime continues to engage with Turkey. If the two neighbours do restore ties, this could pull the US back into the regional troubles and call into question the presence of US troops in northeast Syria.

The Intelligence Gazette
Moldovan security council, Russia's data border crack down, Xi Jinping and Moscow, Ankara struggling with PKK

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community. This week, we bring news from Ankara, Moscow, Chisinau and Beijing.

MoldovaPresidential cabinet musical chairs.

RussiaRoskomnadzor strengthens border controls.

China/RussiaBeijing gets involved in peace efforts in Europe.

Turkey/IraqAnkara searches for equipment to fight PKK in northern Iraq.

Syria, Turkey
Taksim Square blast makes Ankara ill at ease with its private fighters in northern Syria

While it is still not clear who perpetrated the deadly attack in Istanbul on 13 November, a theory that Syrian fighters could be responsible has begun to surface in Ankara. This comes on the back of already growing disquiet between these fighters and their sponsor.

Syria, Turkey
Turkish intelligence plays ambiguous game in north-west Syria

Following the capture of the district of Afrin by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Turkish intelligence service MIT is unsure whether to condemn the group, with which it maintains relations, or turn a blind eye to its activities.