Turkish Press Review

The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.



On Friday, Turkish media outlets mostly covered President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's reaction to the U.S. military's help to Kurdish fighters in the Syrian town of Kobani. The press also covered Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's decision on construction zoning plans plus Istanbul football side Besiktas's victory against Serbian team Partizan Belgrade.



"The United States helped despite Turkey," MILLIYET said, reporting Erdogan's rebuke to the Obama administration's decision to drop military aid to Kurdish fighters waging an almost two-month battle against militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.



AKSAM ran the headline: "The West interested in oil, not people," while VATAN wrote: "Terrorists are fighting each other in Kobani." Erdogan's comments came during his official visit to Latvia on Thursday.



Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab, is currently being defended by 'People's Protection Units' -- the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party, which is listed by Turkey as a terrorist group. Turkey criticized the U.S. for its military aid to the outlawed Kurdish Democratic Union Party on Monday.



Instead of dropping military aid, Turkey has offered to allow the movement of peshmerga forces to Kobani.



As Iraq's Kurdish parliament approved a plan Wednesday to dispatch peshmerga forces to the fighting, MILLIYET claimed those troops would be airlifted through Turkey's southeastern province of Sanliurfa. The daily wrote that this option has gained weight among government circles.



Some dailies covered Prime Minister Davutoglu's comments on construction zoning plans. VATAN reported that Davutoglu has decided to form an 'Ethics Research Center,' to find out whether deputies or mayors from Turkey's ruling AK Party acquired unjust profits.



"Unjust profit over zoning plans is immoral," Davutoglu said, according to ZAMAN, during Thursday's meeting with deputies.



In sports news, Turkish soccer teams tasted European success on Thursday night. Istanbul club Besiktas defeated Serbian team Partizan Belgrade 4-0 at the Partizan Stadium in their UEFA Europa League Group C game. Trabzonspor beat Belgian opponents Lokeren 2-0 in their Group L game prompting the headline "Double victory," from MILLIYET.



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