Tag: Turkey

How Interesting Can Turkey Get?

Since the coup attempt in Turkey last month the country has gone batcrap crazy….I wrote an op-ed for my friends at Ace News Room on the subject….

By now everyone has heard about the recent coup attempt in Turkey….even those that have their ears glued to the telly for the political circus we Americans call “the conventions”………

Source: The Coup In Turkey | Ace News Room

But since I wrote that piece so much more has gone on…..Erdogan is blaming the West for all his problems…..

Turkey has accused the West of supporting terrorism and backing the failed coup to overthrow the government.

In a fiery speech delivered at his 1,150 room palace in Ankara on Tuesday (2 August), president Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded the United States hand over his bitter foe Fethullah Gulen.

Gulen, a 75-year old cleric who has lived in Pennsylvania since 1991, has been accused of masterminding the 15 July coup. He denies any involvement.

“This coup attempt has actors inside Turkey, but its script was written outside. Unfortunately the West is supporting terrorism and stands by coup plotters,” said Erdogan.

Source: Erdogan: West Supports Terrorism, Backed Coup Plotters | World Affairs Journal

This is the typical reaction of a despot….a reaction that could put the relationship between Turkey and The West in jeopardy…..

Turkey’s President Erdogan said on Tuesday that the script for the attempted coup on July 15 was “authored abroad” and that the West is supporting terrorism, explicitly calling into question Ankara’s relations to Washington.

Source: Concerns that NATO Could Lose Turkey Increase | World Affairs Journal

Let’s say Turkey dumps it’s relationship where will he return for back-up?

Russia appears to be the main beneficiary of the July 15 attempted coup in Turkey. Moscow clearly sees a strategic opportunity for itself given the sharp increase in anti-American and anti-European sentiments in Turkey, which are being fanned by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan supporters, and many Turks opposed to Erdogan, are convinced of a US finger in the attempt to topple Erdogan. The fact that Fethullah Gulen — the Islamic cleric accused of masterminding the coup — resides freely in Pennsylvania, and the belief that the United States is dragging its feet over Ankara’s demand for Gulen’s extradition, has raised anti-American feelings among Turks to a fever pitch.
Yet another problem for the next president to sort out…..Who will win the Turkish Lotto?

 

Blame It On Pennsylvania

I was on social media as the coup in Turkey began….a short lived event saved by the very media that the Turkish president hates deeply….anyway I have been watching the news and listening to the excuse given for the coup….most of them are speculation only.

After some digging on my own I found some that are blaming….wait for it….Obama….now I believe that he can be blamed for many things but this one is for the haters only……mentally challenged……

But it is not the best one I found…..it seems that Ergodan is blaming of all  things…..Pennsylvania.

After a military coup attempt that now appears to be firmly quashed, the Turkish government is focusing its wrath on Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. The town is home to Fethullah Gulen, an influential cleric who leads a popular movement called Hizmet, and President Recep Tayyib Erdogan blames his followers for the coup attempt that left at least 161 dead in overnight clashes, the New York Times reports. “I have a message for Pennsylvania: You have engaged in enough treason against this nation,” Erdogan said early Saturday. “If you dare, come back to your country.” Gulen, a moderate Muslim cleric who has lived in the US since 1999, was Erdogan’s ally until 2013, when the leader blamed him for corruption allegations. In other coverage:

  • Vox has more on the Gulenist movement, which runs a large network of schools and supports interfaith dialogue, secular democracy, science, and a progressive stance on social issues. Gulen says he condemns the coup attempt “in the strongest terms.”
  • The AP reports that John Kerry says the US would consider an extradition request for Gulen, though nothing has been received yet and firm evidence would be required. “We fully anticipate that there will be questions raised about Mr. Gulen,” Kerry told reporters. “And obviously we would invite the government of Turkey, as we always do, to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny.”
  • The New York Times looks at how the fallout from the coup will make the region’s politics even more complicated for the US and Europe, which saw Erdogan’s government as a stable and reliable ally. “The danger here is this could spiral out of control and turn into a full-blown civil war,” says former US Ambassador to Turkey Eric S. Edelman.
  • CNN reports on how many civilian supporters of Erdogan stood up to the coup attempt, in some cases blocking military vehicles with their cars and even lying down in front of tanks.
  • Almost 3,000 military service members have been arrested and almost the same number of judges have been removed from their duties in what appears to be a nationwide purge of Gulen supporters, the Guardian reports.
  • Reuters reports that Erdogan, who had been vacationing on the country’s southeast coast, addressed thousands of supporters after flying into Ankara’s airport early Saturday. ” This uprising is a gift from God to us because this will be a reason to cleanse our army,” he said.
  • Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says 161 people were killed and 1,440 were injured in the coup attempt, but a government source tells the AP that the figures exclude coup plotters, meaning the true toll could be much higher.
  • Greece says it will return a Blackhawk helicopter flown to the country from Turkey, but it will examine the asylum claims made by the eight military members on board, including two majors, the AP reports.

Erdogan will use this indecent to rid himself of ALL his political opponents….does that sound familiar?  Think 1930’s…….

God I love this stuff…..Turkey will be watched closely….I feel this is not over by a long shot.

Istanbul Is Not Paris

Last week the terrorists struck again…..it was Paris then Brussels and now Istanbul…….the MSM in the first two were wall to wall coverage and for at least a week of solid coverage…..every possible witness was talked with and every possible angle was analyzed by the wealth of terrorism “experts”…..

Of course there was the outpouring of sympathy from around the world……not so much for the Istanbul attack…..

Within hours of the deadly assault on Istanbul’s Ataturk international airport, analysts and experts were looking for someone to blame. Most cited lapses in airport security or Turkey’s precarious situation given the long-standing conflicts in Iraq and Syria.

The threat faced by Turkey from the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) is real. Major attacks in Turkey attributed to ISIS have killed some 150 people in the past 12 months. Rocket attacks from ISIS-held territory into Turkish border towns are frequent. ISIS did not officially claim responsibility for Tuesday’s attack, but the Turkish authorities pointed the finger.

Source: Why isn’t Turkey getting the same sympathy as Paris after attack?

Today this horrific attack which is the largest airport attack in history….has all but slipped from the headlines…..why is this?  Why the lack of concern that was shown just recently?

Knowing the region and the countries I would like to offer a couple of insights…..

First, Turkey is being a bit authoritarian and limited the press…that could account for the lack of coverage…..

Second and this one I pray is not the correct one….Turkey is a Muslim country….so anything happening there is NOT as important or horrific than the happenings in other European countries.

I will admit that the limited amount of speculation was a bit refreshing…..but this incident deserves the same focus that has been given of all the other attacks this year.

The Great Turkish Who Dunnit

By now the news media has just about spent all their “expert” cash analyzing the latest terror attack in Turkey….now they will sink into their pool of speculation of which nothing substantial ever comes.

Now the inevitable finger pointing and all those crooked (take that anyway you like) fingers are pointing at ISIS as the culprit of the attack.

The common view is that ISIS ordered the attack even if they have not taken responsibility….there is a minor opinion that it could have been the Kurds, whom the Turks have been fighting for decades.

So I will give my take on this attack……

Not the Kurds…..their attacks are more Turk-centric they seldom involve others in their fight with the Turkish government…..

Was it ISIS?  Probably,  If so why then will they not say it was their plan?

One, Turkey is the pipeline for the ISIS apparatus…if they confirm it was them then Turkey will tighten their resolve and their pipeline dries up…..no flow of new fighters and no flow of resources….

The country of Turkey and its government are involved in so many conflicts that it can be as confusing as the situation in Syria….

The attacks in Istanbul on Tuesday night came as a shock to many around the world but for a country that once prided itself as the Middle East’s pro-western, outward-looking beacon of stability, conflict and bombings are starting to become the norm.

These were Turkey’s fifth major terrorist attacks in less than a year, and came amid a series of catastrophic policy failures at both home and abroad.

Turkey’s government and its president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the head of the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP), have invested heavily in the continuing conflict in Syria, devoting considerable resources to the toppling of the Bashar al-Assad regime even when in recent years the international community has opted for a political rather than military settlement to the conflict. Once Syria’s rebellion against the Assad regime became dominated by Islamic fundamentalists, these groups became central to Turkey’s foreign policy objectives. Ankara acquiesced to jihadi groups entering Syria across its borders and enabled them to establish a presence in Turkey to arm and fund their campaign.

Source: The violence in Turkey highlights the country’s many conflicts | Ranj Alaaldin | Opinion | The Guardian

No matter the outcome of this “investigation” the result will be the same…..more airstrikes and more attacks on civilians…..

UPDATE:  After I wrote this draft to save word has been released that the 3 attackers have been identified…….One is said to be from Russia’s North Caucasus region and the others from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Turkey believes so-called Islamic State (IS) was behind the suicide gun and bomb attack that left 44 people dead and some 240 injured. (This is an assumption nit fact)

Police detained at least 13 suspects in Istanbul and more in Izmir on Thursday.

Talk And No One Listens

I could go on and on about the latest attack in Turkey..,..but why?  Everyone’s minds are made up and nothing anyone says, no matter how rational it may be will they change their minds….

So I just want to point out  a thing that seems that is a universal form of stupidity…..

Before the last attack in the US……Orlando to be exact……the FBI had the shooter in the sights but decided that he was not of any threat….there was a report that some owner of a gun store try to warn the FBI of the guy and the strange questions he was asking….to be fair there is also a report that this owner had little info on the shooter so we can sort of let the FBI off the hook….well you can…I will not.

I bring this up because of a report I read about the attack in Istanbul……

Turkish intelligence units allegedly warned relevant government bodies about a possible attack by Islamic State terrorist in Istanbul week before Tuesday night’s deadly attack by three suspected ISIS suicide bombers.

According to Turkish media Wednesday, the country’s intelligence apparatus sent a warning letter to state institutions some 20 days ago about a potential attack.

Turkish Hurriyet Daily News cited Doğan TV as reporting that the June warning message mentioned the names of potential targets, including Istanbul Atatürk Airport.

These types of reports keep coming out….and each time some vital piece of intel has been missed or ignored….

Is that a coincidence or by design?

Just asking

30 Syrian boys raped at Turkish refugee camp

If you can recall as far back as January of this year you will remember the media story of the gang that was raping people in Germany…..Hamburg, I believe…..and as one would expect the mental midget jumped on this to be an indicator that ALL refugees are rapists, thugs and terrorists….

This story fed their hatred and their conspiracy theory……and I wanted to see if if there were other incidents, from reliable sources, of any further criminal activity……I found one but it will not feed the paradigm of hatred that most of the morons push….

Thirty Syrian children were raped for months at a Turkish refugee camp and government authorities failed to notice, according to BirGün newspaper. It comes amid allegations that Turkey is not a safe country for asylum seekers.

The 30 boys were raped by a cleaner at Nizip Refugee Camp in Antep, from September 2015 until the beginning of 2016.

The rapist, identified only as E.E., has confessed that he lured children between the ages of eight and 12 to have sex with him in return for 2 to 5 Turkish Lira (US$.70-1.80). He is now in pre-trial detention.

Source: 30 Syrian boys raped at Turkish refugee camp – report — RT News

I cannot wait to see how the morons on the Right spin this story…..my guess is we will not hear much about this from them for you see it does not fit well in their hateful mindset.

It is pathetic that reports like this fall through the cracks of the MSM……

Syria: War And Peace

Let’s begin with the peace part….well it is not an actual peace agreement but rather a ceasefire…..there are lots of optimistic predictions about this turn and on the other hand there is a bunch of pessimism…..and I am one that sees this deal falling on its face (check out my post from earlier today)……

One reason I see it failing is that the ceasefire does not include ISIS or al-Nusra……as long as there is still bang bang going on what part of the deal is a cease fire?

Now the war part of the post……

Is Turkey included in this ceasefire?

If so then ….Houston we have a problem…….

After months of railing against the gains by the Kurdish YPG in northern Syria, Turkish army forces began shelling YPG targets in earnest this weekend, and pretty quickly escalated their involvement to begin attacking the Syrian military in northern Aleppo Province as well.

Turkish officials are talking up the possibility of escalating their involvement to include ground troops, and the Syrian government says it believes the first Turkish troops may already have arrived, as around 100 gunmen crossed the border at Azaz, and they believe some are Turkish military forces.

The sudden Turkish attacks come just days ahead of the start of a ceasefire in Syria, and the US and some European nations are urging Turkey to knock it off, though PM Ahmet Davutoglu insists Turkish strikes will continue as a “necessary response” to the Kurdish gains.

The US,  which has signed on to this ceasefire, what will be their position on these attacks?

As Turkish forces pounded both Syrian military targets and the Kurdish YPG, the US State Department has issued a statement calling for Turkey to de-escalate the situation and halt all future attacks, along with warning the Kurds not to seize any more territory.

And it’s unlikely to change any minds, with Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu telling German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the attacks are going to continue unconditionally, and that the attacks are a “necessary response” to the Kurdish aggression.

Davutoglu went on to insist that Turkey is launching the attacks in Syria for Europe’s sake, and that if the Kurds weren’t stopped hundreds of thousands of more refugees are going to be fleeing from the territory the Kurds are taking from ISIS and other Islamist groups.

Now think about this…..let’s say Syria takes exception to Turkey’s attacks and retaliates…….what would that do?

Turkey is an ally through NATO and the charter with NATO says the US will come to their defense….that would then mean that we have another war to fight.

This situation is becoming more and more volatile as the days go by…….and then the next question is….what will Russia do as an ally of Syria?  Then ask will that bring the two powers into conflict….if so…..to what degree?

But that is nothing to worry about I am sure that the Swimsuit issue is far more important……or that Kayne is in debt……

Syria: Who’s Doing Who?

I do marvel at the analyses of Syria…..why?  It is so confusing that whatever someone writes could very well be accurate…..even the most outlandish of scenarios.  I have been doing a lot of research because I know the class I will teach this question will be asked…….be prepared.  (a slogan we all know and love from our younger days)

Moving on.

By now most of the “known universe” (a Dune reference) has seen the dramatic photos of the Russian plane shot down by Turkey….and this will make things a little more messy and a lot more confusing than they are today.

There is more to the story of the downed plane than we are being told……if interested then you may read it for yourself……

Source: The Real Reason for Turkey’s Shoot-Down of the Russian Jet – Antiwar.com Original by — Antiwar.com

Actually you need a flow chart on the wall to keep up with who us fighting who….I would try to explain this situation but I found a cartoon that explains it is fewer words than I would have to use……

image

Cartoon by Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune

That is as accurate as I can get without a lengthy dissertation…..(you are welcome)…….

Now let’s look at the Kurds….the Kurds are our friends and ally in the fight against ISIS in Iraq…..in Syria they are the enemy of Turkey bit still a friend to DC….and since the downing of the Russian plane things are about to get even more touchy……

I read a piece in a Russian newspaper that may or may not be accurate….but if it is true then things have taken a turn….a bad turn……

Moscow isn’t likely to bomb Turkish military facilities, but it has other ways of undermining Ankara’s presence in Syria: Russia is now aiding Kurdish rebels — a group that has been labeled as “terrorists” by Turkey.

The Syrian Kurdish forces (YPG) are considered extremely valuable in the fight against ISIS. They have previously received support from the United States, although western cooperation with the group has been limited in order to avoid ruffling Erdogan’s feathers. But for Russia, upsetting Erdogan is not really an “issue”.

Putin has called on the Assad government and the political wing of the YPG to unite. This has still not happened – at least not officially.

But Syrian Kurdish officials have said they are ready to work with anyone fighting ISIL, and anyone who works for a united, secular and democratic Syria.

This means that Russia will aid the forces of the Kurdish rebels that are fighting against Turkey……Turkey is attacking these forces…..does that not sound like a prescription for escalation?

After all there is a bit of history between Russia and the Kurds……..The Kurds’ growing role in the evolving and turbulent situation prevailing in the Middle East and elsewhere affects the policies of regional and global powers alike. Russia is no exception. In recent years, Moscow has taken steps to develop contacts with Kurdish political movements and establish economic cooperation with Iraqi Kurdistan, where Russian oil and gas companies have set up shop. The February 2013 visit to Russia by Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani, dubbed by the Kurdish people as the “first official visit,” served as a significant milestone in the development of political contacts. The visit refreshed the memories of developments dating back more than half a century when the Kurds’ historical leader (and Barzani’s father) Mullah Mustafa Barzani lived in the Soviet Union from 1947 to 1958, where he enjoyed support on a number of fronts.

As with anything in the Middle East…..what could possibly go wrong?

Fly The Crowded Skies Of Syria

Last Friday I wrote a post about the crowded skies over Syria and the possibility of something that could gone wrong…..in case you did not bother to read the post I offer it up here……

Source: The Crowded Skies Of Syria | In Saner Thought

I got some blow back on the post……nothing derogatory or insulting but since the post……. the news this morning was…..

Turkey shot down a Russian warplane Tuesday, claiming it had violated Turkish airspace and ignored repeated warnings. Russia denied that the plane crossed the Syrian border into Turkish skies. “We are looking into the circumstances of the crash of the Russian jet,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said. “The Ministry of Defense would like to stress that the plane was over the Syrian territory throughout the flight.” Russia said the Su-24 was downed by artillery fire, but Turkey claimed that its F-16s fired on the Russian plane after it ignored several warnings. The ministry said the pilots parachuted, but it added that Moscow had no further contact with them. More:

  • Video footage of the incident showed a warplane on fire before crashing on a hill and two crew members apparently parachuting safely. According to Turkey’s Dogan news agency, a Russian helicopter flew low over the Bayirbucak Turkmen region in northern Syria, searching for the two pilots.
  • A Turkish military statement said the plane entered Turkish airspace over the town of Yayladagi, in Hatay province. “Two F-16 planes on aerial patrol duty in the area intervened against the plane in question in accordance with the rules of engagement at 9:24am,” the statement said, adding that the plane had been warned 10 times in the space of five minutes.
  • Russian authorities say the plane was one of dozens flying sorties as part of the country’s bombing campaign in Syria, reports the Washington Post, which notes that since Turkey is a NATO member, the downing of the jet is bound to increase friction between Moscow and the West.
  • Reuters reports that activists say the plane crashed in a mountainous part of Syria’s Latakia province, where government forces have been fighting insurgents. A Syrian rebel group has sent Reuters video of what it says is the body of one of the Russian pilots.

(newser)

But what about the crew men of the plane shot down?

The two crew ejected from the stricken plane, the Russian defence ministry said, but the fate of the pilots was not known.

A leader of Turkmen forces in the north of Syria said his men had fired on the pilots as they parachuted, killing one.

Jahed Ahmad, of the Free Syrian Army’s 10th Brigade in the Coast, told the AP news agency that the pilots had attempted to land in a Syrian government-held area.

The group published graphic video showing gunmen standing around a bruised and bloodied pilot who appeared dead.

The Turkmens in northern Syria are allied with rebel groups seeking the overthrow of Syrian president and Russian ally Bashar al-Assad.

If true this incident could be problematic on its own……

This is an incident and I believe that more could come…..there are so many players doing the same thing……it will be interesting to see how the US government spins this incident…..

I closing……. the four most beautiful words in the English language……I TOLD YOU SO!

Has The US Been Duped?

I would like to remind my readers that about a year ago the president went before the nation and announced that we would “degrade and destroy” the Islamic State.

After many many airstrikes by the US and its coalition members the news from the battle front is not the best we could be getting.  It appears that the terror group known as ISIS is no closer to defeat than a year ago when this all began.

Recently the media reported a favorable situation Turkey has decided to allow US planes to use their airspace and air bases as a base of operation…..they also decided to join in the fight.  The problem with their participation is that they are flying more ops against the Kurds, a long time enemy, than against the ISIS positions.

The Kurds an ally of the US and the most successful fighters against ISIS is now a target of one of our allies…

So my question now is…..was the US duped by Turkey so they could wage an all out war against a long time foe?  This question needs an answer if this whole plan is to be remotely successful.

There is something rotten in Istanbul!

 

Source: Turkey duped the US, and ISIS reaps rewards – The Unz Review