Konflikten i Syrien

Asking for Trouble: Erdogan Drags Europe Into New 'Cuban Missile Crisis'?

Turkey, according to Iskenderov, decided to shoot down the Russian bomber because President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is confident that NATO and particularly the US will back him no matter what happens. Moreover, "the desire to exploit the contradictions between great powers has always been an instrument of the (Neo)Ottoman Empire's policy," he explained in an article titled "Turkey Paves Way for Another Cuban Crisis."

In addition, Turkey does not want the Syrian crisis to be resolved and is ready to add fuel to the fire if necessary, the analyst stated. Protracted civil war in the neighboring country will allow Ankara to continue its illegal oil business with ISIL. It is also trying to pit the radical group against the Kurds as much as possible.

ISIL's defeat, according to the analyst, does not suit Turkey. "It also does not serve the interests of the United States implementing its strategy of controlled chaos and geopolitical isolation of Russia," Iskenderov observed.

Turkish officers arrested for ‘treason’ after intercepting weapons destined for Syria

Three Turkish officers, involved in the inspection of an intelligence agency’s weapons-filled trucks, allegedly destined for Syrian terror groups, have been arrested on treason and espionage charges. Meanwhile journalists who broke the news face similar charges.

Those who sent the convoy from Turkey knew that the weapons were “heading to end [up] in ISIS hands,” one of the Cumhuriyet journalists told RT.

‘Oxygen for jihadists’: ISIS-smuggled oil flows through Turkey to intl markets – Iraqi MP

“In the last eight months ISIS has managed to sell ... $800 million dollars worth of oil on the black market of Turkey. This is Iraqi oil and Syrian oil, carried by trucks from Iraq, from Syria through the borders to Turkey and sold ...[at] less than 50 percent of the international oil price,” Mowaffak al Rubaie said in an interview with RT.

“Money and dollars generated by selling Iraqi and Syrian oil on the Turkish black market is like the oxygen supply to ISIS and it’s operation,” he added. “Once you cut the oxygen then ISIS will suffocate.”


The Iraqi MP said there is “no shadow of a doubt” that the Turkish government knows about the oil smuggling operations. “The merchants, the businessmen [are buying oil] in the black market in Turkey under the noses – under the auspices if you like – of the Turkish intelligence agency and the Turkish security apparatus,” he said.