Draft Diary

ANKARA (AA) - Here are the main topics Anadolu Agency’s English Desk plans to cover Monday March 19, 2018 (coverage may change depending on developing/breaking stories):

TURKEY

ANKARA - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to attend draw ceremony for judges and public prosecutors at Bestepe Culture and Congress Center of Presidential Complex.

ANKARA - Erdogan also to chair Central Executive Board meeting of ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party.

ANKARA - Prime Minister Binali Yildirim to receive Azerbaijani group visiting Turkey for project bringing together children of Turkish and Azerbaijani martyrs.

ANKARA - Yildirim also to attend draw ceremony and meeting at AK Party headquarters.

UK

LONDON - Experts from chemical weapons watchdog OPCW to arrive to test sample of nerve agent found in Salisbury incident.

BELGIUM

BRUSSELS - U.K. Brexit Secretary David Davis to meet EU negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels ahead of EU summit.

GERMANY

BERLIN - Chancellor Angela Merkel meets Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir to discuss bilateral ties and international issues.

SYRIA

IDLIB / AZAZ / AFRIN - Monitoring Turkey's continuing Operation Olive Branch against terrorist groups YPG/PKK-Daesh in Afrin, northwestern Syria after clearing the town center from terrorists.

SPECIAL REPORT

15 years after Iraq invasion, Saddam regime in disarray

By Naza Mohamed and Ali Mohamed

BAGHDAD (AA) – On March 19, 2003, U.S.-led forces invaded oil-rich Iraq to topple the Saddam Hussein regime on claims of links to the al-Qaeda terrorist group and possession of weapons of mass destruction.