Erdogan Vows to Boost Water Flow along Tigris River to Ease Iraq’s Water Shortage

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seen with Iraq's visiting Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani in Ankara - AFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seen with Iraq's visiting Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani in Ankara - AFP
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Erdogan Vows to Boost Water Flow along Tigris River to Ease Iraq’s Water Shortage

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seen with Iraq's visiting Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani in Ankara - AFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seen with Iraq's visiting Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani in Ankara - AFP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged Tuesday to step up the flow of water along the Tigris River to drought-stricken Iraq for one month.

Erdogan told Iraq's visiting Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani that he was aware of the "urgent need for water" in Turkiye's war-scarred neighbour.

Official Iraqi statistics show the level of the Tigris entering the country last year dropping to just 35 percent of its average over the past century.

"For one month, we have taken the decision to increase the volume of water flowing along the Tigris River," Erdogan told a joint media appearance with Sudani.

"The issue of water will hopefully be resolved," AFP quoted Erdogan as saying.

For his part, Sudani expressed his gratitude and thanks to the president from the Iraqi people.

Also, Erdogan repeated his demand for Iraq to recognise the PKK as a terror group.

Sudani said that Iraq recognized Turkiye's security concerns.

"We won't allow Iraq to be used as a launching pad for attacks on Turkiye," he noted.



Top Houthi Leaders Flee Sanaa Amid Trump-Ordered US Strikes

Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
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Top Houthi Leaders Flee Sanaa Amid Trump-Ordered US Strikes

Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)

Senior Houthi leaders have disappeared from public life in Sanaa, gripped by fear of US airstrikes ordered by President Donald Trump, now entering their third week, sources in Yemen said.

The first-tier leadership of the Iran-aligned group is believed to have fled the capital, which remains under Houthi control, seeking shelter in remote areas of Saada and Amran provinces.

According to informed sources, the group’s leaders have severed traditional communication channels and several have either gone into hiding or relocated to undisclosed locations as a precaution against possible targeted strikes.

Since the launch of US airstrikes on March 15, senior and mid-level Houthi leaders have vanished from public view and social media platforms, Yemeni sources say, as fear of targeted attacks continues to grow within the group’s ranks.

Informed sources confirmed there has been no trace of the group’s top two tiers of leadership - neither in the institutions under Houthi control in Sanaa, nor on the streets and neighborhoods they once frequented in luxury vehicles.

Even the sectarian events that Houthi leaders were known to regularly attend have reportedly gone on without their visible presence.

The Houthi group has remained tight-lipped about the extent of its human and military losses following US airstrikes ordered by Trump.

However, sources say several leaders not belonging to the ruling family of Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi are still believed to be in Sanaa.

Many of these figures have adopted strict security measures to avoid detection, including travelling in vehicles with tinted windows and covering their faces with cloaks when leaving temporary residences, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The precautions reflect growing fears of betrayal or being targeted by further strikes.

A source in Sanaa revealed that third-tier Houthi officials—mostly tribal figures and field supervisors—were instructed to flee to the northern provinces of Saada, Amran and other areas as US air raids intensified.

According to the source, mid-level Houthi officials have lost all direct contact with the group’s senior leadership after the latter switched locations and shut down their communication lines.