If one is to interpret the downing of Russian’s SU 24 fighter bomber by Turkish F-16 fighter from an objective angle, that incident worked well to strengthen Russia’s resolve to eradicate Islamic State terrorism that is now sowing widespread terror and anxiety among the peace-loving people of the world. Diplomatically, Russian President Vladimir Putin now enjoys the moral advantage after the treacherous Turkish attack while carrying a mission of bombing trucks and tankers used by ISIS terrorists to haul their looted Syrian oil and using the proceeds to finance the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. Such is the classic proxy war waged by the US and its Western Allies in frying their minions who shout “Allahu Akbar” in their own lard.
The image of Putin as a modern-day crusader against terrorism has been boosted as when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was exposed to the world as the principal patron of terrorism. Nato is now in a dilemma on what to do with an ally that turned out to be the broker and coddler of terrorist’s organization whose part-time job is to steal, loot and ransack national treasures; and was responsible for bringing to Western Europe the monstrous problem on how to cope up with the huge influx of refugees, many of whom are disguised terrorists.
The porous border between Turkey and Syria which is mostly under the control of the anti-Assad forces has brought to light the truth that the US, using Turkey, wants to establish a 90-kilometer “no-fly-zone” inside the Syrian territory to completely secure it from attacks from the army loyal to Assad. It was a desperate attempt by Erdogan to bring in Nato should Russia recklessly retaliate. Instead of taking drastic measures, Russian intensified its bombing in Syria, particularly hitting those trucks, oil tanker and depots captured by ISIS. The decision to hit those targets was meant to weaken ISIS as those looted oil are being transported to Turkey under the auspices of BMZ Group Denizcilik believed to be owned by Bilal Erdogan, the son of President Erdogan. That was soon followed by the deployment of Russian’s new S-400 ballistic missiles, the moving of its Mediterranean fleet near the coast of Syria armed with cruise missiles and the installation of their latest electronic jamming device.
All these pre-empted the Turkish plan to establish a “no-fly-zone” within the Syrian border to duplicate what they did in ousting Muammar Kaddafi of Libya. Turkish aircraft could no longer and unilaterally impose a no-fly zone to covertly provide air cover to the terrorist oil smugglers. Unlike Russia’s involvement in Syria which has the consent of the legitimate government of Basher al Assad, Turkish and NATO allies’ unilateral attempt to establish a no-fly-zone is illegal and in violation of the UN charter. It has long been known that the looting of oil has been going on in the region of Kilis, Urfa and Gaziantep, and transported all the way to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Jihan where the looted oil is sold to the international market at 50 percent below the international value.
Russia believed that it was the bombing that prompted Erdogan to act. In fact, former Iraqi member of parliament Mowaffak Al Rubaie said that about $800 million worth of stolen oil is being brought out of Syria and Iraq, and revenues from this illegal and criminal trade is used to finance IS terrorist campaign. According to retired US general US general John Allen, the US will eventually come to protect “moderate” Syrian rebels possibly with air power once they enter into combat (deployed into action). Such is pretty dangerous because there is a likely possibility that Russia and the US will clash on the issue of identifying the “moderates” from the terrorists. At the moment, Russia has the edge for having the first to establish a no-fly-zone in the area against any aircraft that would interfere in its operations against ISIS.
In fact, training is being carried out by the CIA and US special forces right under the very noses of the Turkish government. They are being trained in Hirfanli which is a few kilometers away from the US military base at Incirlik. After training, they are transferred to the southern province of Hatay and from there cross their way to Syria. There is no much distinction between the anti-Assad forces from the terrorist group made up of the Jubhat Al Nusra, al Qaida, and the equally murderous Turkmen militia. The Turkmen has lately gained notoriety for shooting down the Russian pilot while parachuting. Jahed Ahmad, the representative of the 10th brigade in the area boasted that they purposely shot the pilot while still descending which is considered a war crime.
It is also an open secret that wounded IS fighters are routinely brought to Turkish hospitals either in Sunlurfa, 150 km of Gaziantep, and that covert hospital is headed by Erdogan’s daughter Sumeyye Erdogan. She also acts as head of IS medical corps in charge of attending to wounded IS fighters. It was also revealed that the Erdogan government has committed criminal acts when the Turkish Intelligence organization committed rape and murder to an American reporter Serena Shim and British reporter Jacky Sutton. Accordingly, they were raped, and subsequently murdered. Shim was made to appear to have died in a car accident, while Sutton allegedly committed suicide. It was alleged that the two wrote articles critical of the Turkish government having close liaison with ISIS.
There now appears to be a change in position on how Europe intends to deal with ISIS. French President Francois Hollande now seems to agree with Putin that the forces loyal to Assad remain the principal solution to the civil war that in the first place is being fanned by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey with the uncanny cooperation of the Israeli intelligence services. The West cannot fight Assad without strengthening ISIS but concomitantly endangering its own security. To President Putin, it is for the people of Syria to decide on the future fate of Assad, and not those fanatical bigots exported by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.
President Obama accused Assad of making war against his own people forgetting that US President Lincoln did the same when he imposed martial law to prevent the southern states from seceding, which means that he too declared war against his people wanting to leave the Union. This explains why the US appears to be running against world opinion. In fact, many believe it is the US that is now engaged in a proxy war against Assad, for and in behalf of the Wahabs for Saudi Arabia and the Zionists for Israel, that it could no longer see the more serious threat of fanaticism that now forms the cradle of the Islamic States. Many could not understand why the US, despite gruesome pictures showing beheadings of prisoners, savagery in their conduct of warfare, raping of Christian Yazidi women, wanton pillage of villages , and the most heinous acts destroying mankind’s cultural legacies in the city of Aleppo, has not at all been touched to redefine its policy of zeroing in on the ISIS instead of demonizing Assad.
(rpkapunan@gmail.com)