German authorities watched the highly organized group for a year before cracking down on their banking activities. The suspects are accused of running an illegal hawala banking system between Germany and Turkey.

Ankara doesn't take kindly to critics — and has been using Interpol to hunt down Turkish dissidents in Germany and elsewhere. An exclusive DW report.

Discussions between Turkey and the United States were dominated by Syria and Ankara's purchase of Russia's S-400 missile system.

EU foreign ministers have approved a new mechanism to sanction entities involved in unauthorized oil drilling in Cypriot waters. But Turkey can avoid financial penalties if it ends its illegal drilling, diplomats said.

US troops began to withdraw from northeastern Syria on Monday, clearing the way for planned Turkish military operations. The White House had earlier announced that they would not support Turkey's offensive.

A court has ordered the release of Ahmet Altan and Nazli Ilicak after the journalists served more than three years in prison. Their case has been symptomatic of the post-coup crackdown on the media in Turkey.

Turkey's Erdogan has announced he will "clear out" Kurdish forces from the Syrian border if Russia fails to do so. The Turkish leader's comments come as rights groups accuse the country of war crimes.

Russia and Turkey agreed to work together to take back large chunks of Syrian territory controlled by Kurdish forces once allied with the U.S., giving each country a bigger say in how postwar Syria will look. Onur Ant reports from Istanbul on "Bloomberg Surveillance."

Kurdish fighters and civilians have begun evacuating from the besieged Syrian town of Ras al-Ayn as part of a US-brokered deal with Turkey. But their exit still leaves the longer-term fate of the deal in question.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has condemned the US and Turkey for endangering the stability of the NATO alliance. She also called on Germany to be more assertive in helping solve international conflicts.

Turkish forces said one soldier has been killed and another injured by the YPG in northern Syria, threatening a fragile cease-fire. President Erdogan said Turkey would "crush the heads of terrorists" who don't withdraw.

The European Council president has told Turkey not to use refugees to "blackmail" the EU with regards to Syria. Meanwhile, NATO's Jens Stoltenberg was more cautious when meeting the Turkish foreign minister.