The truth about Syria

[MosJan]

U.S. to deploy special force to Iraq to boost fight against IS
U.S. to deploy special force to Iraq to boost fight against IS
December 2, 2015 - 10:45 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. is to deploy a specialised force to Iraq to build pressure on Islamic State militants, U.S. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter has said, according to BBC News.

"In full co-ordination with the government of Iraq, we're deploying a specialised expeditionary targeting force to assist Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces," Carter said.

The operators would carry out raids, free hostages and capture IS leaders. They would also conduct "unilateral operations" in Syria, he said.

Islamic State conquered large swathes of Iraq and Syria in the summer of 2014. A U.S.-led coalition of 65 countries is conducting a campaign against the militants in both countries.

Carter made the announcement in remarks to the House Armed Services Committee in Washington on Tuesday, December 1.

He did not offer specifics on troop numbers, but said they would also be focused on securing Iraq's borders and building the capacity of the Iraqi government forces.

Carter said there was now an important opportunity to divide IS militants in Iraq from those in Syria.

In October, the U.S. announced it would send up to 50 special forces soldiers to northern Syria as military advisers to Kurdish and rebel forces.

[MosJan]

Syrian government reaches deal for insurgents to leave Homs
Syrian government reaches deal for insurgents to leave Homs
December 2, 2015 - 10:27 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian government officials said on Tuesday, December 1, they had agreed on a deal for opposition fighters to withdraw from the last insurgent-held area of the city of Homs with their weapons as part of a local ceasefire agreement, Reuters reports.

Sources told Reuters earlier on Tuesday that Syrian and United Nations officials had been meeting in Homs, a major battleground on Syria's north-south highway, to try to finalize a deal following a ceasefire in the city's Waer district.

It was not immediately clear whether representatives of armed groups had been directly participating in the meeting.

Reuters was unable to immediately contact insurgents in the area following the announcements by Syrian officials.

Homs Governor Talal al-Barazi told state news agency SANA that negotiations had taken place with "special committees" for reconciliation.

There have been a number of local ceasefire deals and attempts to secure them in parts of western Syria this year in the absence of a national solution to the nearly five-year conflict which has killed some 250,000 people.

"We are now waiting for the logistical preparations that will contribute to the successful implementation" of the deal, said Ali Haidar, minister for national reconciliation.

"What is more important than the details is that the process starts to build trust with those who are willing to exit. Then there will be procedures for the safe and secure exit and this will build trust with local people in Waer," he added.

The deal would also allow humanitarian assistance to reach the district, the source said.

[MosJan]

https://www.facebook.com/100001501461476/videos/985952581464781/

[Yervant1]

http://townhall.com/columnists/victordavishanson/2015/12/03/erdogans-turkey-
is-a-dubious-ally-n2088133?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaignnl&newsletterad=

DECEMBER 3, 2015

Erdogan's Turkey Is a Dubious Ally

Victor Davis Hanson

12/3/2015 12:01:00 AM - Victor Davis Hanson

Turkey often appeals to the West for support, given its longtime membership
in NATO. Now, Turkish leadership is in a shouting match with Russia's
provocative president, Vladimir Putin, over Turkey's downing of a Russian
jet in probable Turkish airspace. Each country has accused the other of
helping terrorists in Syria.

The problem with Turkey and the West, however, is that their relationship is
decades out of date. What was once an alliance is now nothing special at
all.

Barack Obama used to lecture reluctant Europeans about why they should
accept Turkey into the European Union as its first Islamic member. Obama
boasted of a "special friendship" with Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan. As president, Obama suddenly forgot the promise he made as a
senator to formally acknowledge the Armenian genocide committed by the Turks
in the early 1900s Turkey has become a favorite stop abroad for Obama to
lecture his fellow Americans about their ethical shortcomings, from past
treatment of Native Americans to their present supposed xenophobia over not
accepting Syrian refugees en masse.
Yet the more Obama has appeased Erdogan, the more anti-Western and
anti-American Turkey has become.

Erdogan has insidiously eroded Turkish democracy, free speech and human
rights. He is turning the once-secular state into an Islamic nation.
Thousands of Turkish soccer fans recently shouted "Allahu Akbar" when asked
for a moment of silence to honor the victims of the Paris terrorist attacks.
So much for NATO solidarity.

Under Erdogan, the new Turkish model is not the secular modern state of
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Instead, Erdogan praises the ancient Ottoman
caliphate, whose theocratic empire once ranged from the Persian Gulf to
southern Europe.

When the Muslim Brotherhood tried to dismantle secular government in Egypt,
Erdogan egged them on and was instrumental in persuading the Obama
administration to adopt a disastrous policy of support for the Brotherhood.

Erdogan used to visit Europe and chide its leaders over their supposed
mistreatment of Islamic immigrants. But at home, he has increasingly
marginalized the few Turks who are not Muslims.

Small, vulnerable nations and peoples of the region -- Armenians, Greeks and
Kurds -- used to be terrified of Turkish aggression. They are starting to
become afraid again under Erdogan's new Islamic militancy.

Erdogan demanded that the United States remove Bashar al-Assad's tottering
pro-Iranian, pro-Russian dictatorship. But not long ago, Erdogan did all he
could to cultivate Assad, who was fueling terrorist violence against
Americans in Iraq during the surge.

Turkey used to be a friend to Israel. Both countries were worried about
Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism. The radical Islamic world hated
secular Turkey for its past Ottoman colonialism almost as much as it
despised Israel.

Yet since Obama took office, Erdogan has sought to provoke tensions between
the two countries. Some of Erdogan's diatribes against Israel have been
laced with anti-Semitic disparagement.

Turkey now demands justice from Russia for violating Turkish airspace. But
no country in the world violates foreign airspace as often as Turkey. A
Greek defense analyst counted 2,244 times that Turkey violated Greek
airspace in 2014 -- an average of more than six violations per day.

The Erdogan government believes that the way to solve disagreement with
fellow NATO member Greece over a few disputed Aegean islands and oil finds
is to send up its much larger air force to bully the Greeks -- especially
after their recent financial meltdown.

Erdogan publicly boasts of his critical NATO role in curbing Islamic State
terrorism. But privately, Islamic State terrorists have received a wink and
nod from Turkish border authorities, given their shared hatred of Russia,
Syria and Iran.

The Islamic State may be a primordial death cult, but Erdogan apparently
believes that it is at least a Sunni, not a Shiite, killing machine, and is
occasionally useful in fighting common enemies, especially the Kurds.

It is hard to envision any international crisis in which Erdogan's Turkey
would come to the defense of the United States. During the Cold War, Turkey
was terrified about Soviet ships passing near its shores on the Black Sea,
and about communist takeovers on its borders. In exchange for U.S. support,
it often backed American efforts like the U.N. coalition that saved South
Korea.

That's now ancient history.

All that can be said for Obama's current "model relationship" is that Turkey
is strategically located, with a large and powerful military, and hosts NATO
bases. Those facts make it wise to keep Turkey neutral rather than hostile.

Otherwise, Erdogan's Turkey is an ally in name only. In reality, it is
becoming a de facto enemy.

Suddenly, Turkey's NATO membership is important to Erdogan in his dispute
with Putin. But the real irony is that the autocratic Erdogan is the
dictatorial Putin's mirror image.

No two leaders deserve each other more.

[Yervant1]

RUSSIA TO OPEN SECOND MILITARY BASE IN SYRIA

13:34, 04 Dec 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Russia has plans to open its second military base in Syria, media
reports said, according to Fars News.

The Kuwaiti newspaper al-Rai reported that Russia is preparing to
deploy a second military base in Syria. Group of Russian Air Force
as well as relief-and-rescue and monitoring units will be deployed
in Shairat airbase in Homs. The number of Russian aircraft based in
Syria may then rise up to 100.

"Shairat base has 45 reinforced aircraft hangars protecting jets from
shelling," reported the Arabic-language newspaper.

According to the Kuwaiti daily, the airbase has a 3-km primary runway
capable of accommodating aircraft of any type, and a reserve runway
whose preparation is nearing complition.

The Arab paper believes that the operation of Shairat airbase under
the Russians would mean an increase in the number of Russia's air
fleet deployed in Syria up to 100 aircraft and more. Additional
Russian troops to secure and maintain the base will be deployed in
the region as well.

A source in the Russian defense ministry said Shairat base is essential
for further operations in the Southern and Eastern parts of Syria.

"To carry forward attack in Palmyra and further to the East,
in Deir-ezzur, the Hmeimim base is quite far away, specially for
operations of attack aircraft and helicopters". According to him,
the Russian Air Force previously used Shairat airport as a staging
airfield.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940912000604

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/12/04/russia-to-open-second-military-base-in-syria/

[Yervant1]

ANKARA 'SHOULD NOT BE DRAGGED BY NATO IN CONFLICT WITH RUSSIA' - TURKISH MP

© AFP 2015/ ADEM ALTAN
POLITICS
15:00 04.12.2015(updated 16:40 04.12.2015) Get short URL
61418143

Turkey should not dance to the West's pipe and be used for an attack
against Russia, Ozturk Yilmaz, a Turkish lawmaker and member of the
Republican People's Party, said.

© AP PHOTO/ MURSEL COBAN Three Mistakes Turkey Made That Dragged
It Into Conflict With Russia The lawmaker commented on the current
tensions between Moscow and Ankara, their possible reasons and
implications.

"The main issue is that after the Russian bomber was downed over
Syria Turkey didn't make any diplomatic statements to ease tensions
and resolve the crisis in a diplomatic way. This is why now we're
talking about losses Turkey will sustain due to this crisis," Yilmaz
told Sputnik.

Currently, trade between Turkey and Russia has reached $26 billion,
with $21 billion made by Russia exports. Turkey also receives 54
percent of its gas supplies from Russia.

In order to normalize the relations Ankara should establish dialogue
with Moscow, he pointed out.

"In this situation our actions should be very careful. Let's remember
the crisis in Ukraine. Then, the West hit Russia, using Ukraine as
a pretext. Now we should not dance to the West's pipe and be dragged
into an open conflict. Turkey must not be used for an attack against
Russia," the lawmaker said.

Turkey should first protect its national interests and provide national
security, he underscored. The country should not be manipulated and
serve the interests of a third party.

"Finally, the situation may challenge the balance of powers in the
Aegean region, especially in our relations with Greece and Armenia,"
he added.

Yilmaz noted that Turkey's geopolitical position requires a
sophisticated and balanced foreign policy.

"We shouldn't let NATO use Turkey in its standoff with Russia and
leave us alone with all the consequences," he said.

Read more:
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20151204/1031243350/turkey-russia-nato-conflict.html#ixzz3tML8vHl7

[MosJan]

"If anyone shoots at my planes while attacking ISIS, I will make sure that country will be referred to in the past tense, as if it once existed."

“We are going to pursue terrorists everywhere. If they are in the airport, we will pursue them in the airport. And if we capture them in the toilet, that's where they will die"

"Hitler once tried to destroy Russia. Everyone knows how that went"

- Vladimir Putin

[Yervant1]

MASSACRE PROVES TURK, WASHINGTON COMPLICITY IN SYRIA TERROR

[ Part 2.2: "Attached Text" ]

By Finian Cunningham

December 04, 2015 "Information Clearing House" - "SCF" - On the morning
of March 21, 2014, the Syrian village of Kessab was attacked with a
combined force of Islamist jihadists and the Turkish army.

Among the irregular militia were brigades belonging to the Free
Syrian Army, Turkmen tribes and Al Qaeda-linked Al Nusra and the
self-proclaimed Islamic State. All were working in tandem in the
resulting massacre. And the evidence shows that the Ankara and
Washington governments were fully complicit in the atrocity.

The dawn assault on the mainly Armenian Christian village of 2,000
inhabitants began with heavy artillery fire from Turkish army positions
across the border in Turkey's Hatay Province. Turkish army helicopters
were also used to strafe Kessab homes and farms. The village is located
in the Jebel Al-Aqra mountains overlooking the Mediterranean Sea only
a few kilometres from the Turkish border in Syria's Latakia Province.

After the initial salvos from the Turk army, the village was then
attacked with thousands of militants who streamed across the border in
pick-up trucks. Among the assault force were nationals from Chechnya,
Afghanistan, Tunisia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia - as well as British and
Australian, according to survivors.

Most of the Kessab residents managed to escape in panic from the
advancing jihadists in cars and other vehicles to the southern city
of Latakia, which is about an hour's drive away and is under the
control of the Syrian government.

But what transpired in the next days was a massacre of villagers
who were left stranded. In total, 88 mainly elderly residents were
slaughtered. Thirteen of the victims were beheaded. One young man,
21-year-old Kevork Djurian, was executed in front of his parents. The
killers just laughed at his father Papken's anguish. The jihadists
refused to let the father bury his son, saying that he was Â"an
Armenian dogÂ".

Kessab was occupied by the jihadists for nearly three months before
theSyrian Arab Army finally routed the militants and retook the
village in mid-June 2014. Today, it still remains under Syrian
government control.

Two witnesses to the slaughter have separately told this author of the
event and its aftermath. One is an American citizen who has lived in
Syria for more than 20 years. She is a medical professional who has
a family home in Kessab. On the morning of the opening assault, she
was in Latakia, but she tended to the survivors who fled to the main
Armenian church in Latakia for sanctuary. As well as caring for the
traumatised people, some of whom were her neighbours and friends, she
carefully noted their accounts of how the initial attack unfolded. When
the Syrian army later retook Kessab in June, the American medic
returned to the village and witnessed the devastation that the
jihadists had inflicted on homes, public buildings and churches.

Another witness is Irish peace activist, Dr Declan Hayes. He also
managed to reach Kessab in the days following its recapture by the
Syrian army. Hayes interviewed survivors and recorded the scenes of
looting and destruction left behind by the fleeing anti-government
militia.

Â"I interviewed the man whose son was slain in front of his eyesÂ",
says Hayes. Â"The jihadists left the young man's bloodied corpse
lying on the ground for three days outside the family home just to
torment his parentsÂ".

Without exception, all the villagers said that the assault began with
artillery fire and raids by helicopter gunships from Turk territory.

Â"The border is heavily militarised with Turk army positions everywhere
on the Turkish side. There is no doubt that this attack was launched
with the direct involvement of the Turkish government in AnkaraÂ",
adds Hayes.

Kessab is in the same mountainous location where Turkish F-16 fighter
jets last week shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber, which had been
carrying out raids on jihadist groups. The Russian plane came down in
Syrian territory and one of its pilots was murdered as he parachuted
to the ground by Turkmen militants. The Turkmen are Syrian citizens
who are ethnically related to Turks across the border.

The American-Syrian woman (whose name has been withheld by this
author on request) says that the Turkmen played an important role in
the slaughter of Kessab. Â"They know all the roads, trails and paths
into and out of Kessab. They were the ones who led the attackers into
the villageÂ", she says.

Churches and a cultural centre in the village were desecrated. The
attackers moved from house-to-house killing terrified dwellers and
then they looted everything that was not nailed down or even those
possessions that were nailed down. Money, jewellery, televisions,
fridges, doors, windows, furnishings and farm equipment were
systematically plundered and hauled back in trucks to be sold off
across the border in Turkey.

Adding to the crimes, a group of about 30 elderly village folk were
then abducted by the marauders and taken to the Turkish town of
Vakifli some 20 kilometres across the border. They were held there by
armed militants for several weeks before they were flown by the Turk
authorities to the city of Tripoli in Lebanon. From there the people
were able to make their way back to the sanctuary of Latakia. The
circuitous route was chosen by the Turk regime in order to conceal
its involvement in the crime.

During their abduction, the group was visited by an official American
delegation that included the then US ambassador to Turkey, Francis
Ricciardone. Ricciardone introduced himself through an interpreter. The
petrified Kessab folk pleaded with the American official to intervene
for their release. But he left them in their plight. What he wanted
to know through his questioning was if any of the people from Kessab
were American citizens.

As the American medic pointed out to this author: Â"There are a
few US citizens like me who live in Kessab. There is a big diaspora
community of Armenian Syrians in the United States and many of them
have homes back in Syria. It seems that the American ambassador was
worried that if any US citizens were among the Kessab survivors this
would rebound badly for the American government if that news got outÂ".

As noted, once the US ambassador established that there were apparently
no American citizens involved in the aftermath of the Kessab assault,
he duly left them to their fate of captivity in Turkey.

What that encounter illustrates is that Washington must have been
fully aware of what went down in Kessab. How else would the US diplomat
know to show up to question the abducted villagers?

In the days following the attack on the village, Samantha Power,
the US ambassador to the United Nations, issued a perfunctory, bland
statement about Washington's Â"concernÂ" over the violence. But
Washington did not specify who the guilty parties were, nor did it
issue any censure of the Turk government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
who was the prime minister at that time. He is now the president.

In fact, a subsequent statement issued by State Department official
Victoria Nuland claimed that the Turk government had no involvement
in the Kessab incident. However, the Russian, Syrian and Armenian
governments did make explicit condemnations of the massacre.

The Turkish government claimed that it had no role in the attack. In
an official release, the Erdogan regime said: Â"The allegations by
some circles that Turkey is providing support to the opposition forces
by letting them use its territory or through some other ways during
the conflict which have intensified recently in the Latakia/Kessab
region are totally unfounded and untrueÂ".

But the testimonies cited in this article show that the Turk
authorities were directly involved in the military assault and the
orchestration of jihadist militants. The Ankara government's denials
of what happened in Kessab are thus barefaced lies.

On April 1, 2014, 12 days after the assault began, Ahmed Jarba, the
leader of the Western-backed Syrian National Council (SNC), arrived
in Kessab. The SNC is the exiled political wing of the Free Syrian
Army. Jarba, who is a protégé of the Saudi regime, went there
to inspect the occupation and congratulate the militants on their
successful breach of government-held territory in Latakia. The breach
of territory to the Mediterranean coast was considered a significant
victory for the militants. The following month, in May, Jarba was
received in the White House by President Barack Obama. He was also
greeted by Obama's National Security advisor, Susan Rice.

The Â"rape of KessabÂ", as Dr Declan Hayes has called it, was fully
conducted by fighters belonging to the Western-backed FSA, along with
jihadist brigades comprising Turkmen tribesmen and Al Qaeda-linked
Al Nusra and Islamic State.

The incident serves as a microcosm of the entire
four-and-a-half-year-old Syrian conflict. The mainly Armenian
Christian village of Kessab is home to all religious sects that
reside in Syria, including Alawite and Sunni Muslims. The farming
community has lived peaceably together for centuries and has never
been persecuted by the Syrian government of President Assad. The only
previous persecution was a century ago, in 1915, when the Turk Ottoman
empire carried out the Armenian genocide, when 1.5 million Armenians
were exterminated. Tragically, many survivors of the Kessab massacre
last year are descendants of that first genocide.

On the morning of March 21 last year, the community of Kessab was
plunged into an orgy of barbarism carried out by Western, Turk
and Saudi-backed jihadists. The whole notion contrived by Western
governments and their mainstream media that the West is backing
Â"secular, moderate rebelsÂ" in Syria fighting against a sectarian,
despotic regime is thus exposed as a vile charade, as the carnage at
Kessab shows.

Of particular import is the criminal role played by the Turk government
of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, not only in the orchestration of the slaughter
at Kessab, but, more generally, throughout the entire Syrian conflict.

Erdogan has this week flatly denied claims made by Russian President
Vladimir Putin that Ankara is complicit in fuelling the conflict in
Syria by supporting terrorists through an industrial-scale campaign,
involving the smuggling of oil for weapons. Erdogan has even said
that he will resign if it is proven that his regime is complicit. His
arrogant confidence seems to stem from his regime's brutal suppression
of Turk media publishing verifiable articles that Turkish state
intelligence has indeed been running truck-loads of weapons into Syria.

Previously, by way of attempting to absolve the Turk state from
charges of terrorist collusion, Erdogan claimed that weapons were
being sent to help Turkmen Â"brothersÂ" to defend themselves from
the Syrian army. Following the brutal murder of the Russian pilot by
Turkmen jihadists last week, Erdogan this week changed his tune and
claimed that weapon convoys into Syria were allegedly being sent to
the Â"Free Syrian ArmyÂ".

But, as the Kessab massacre demonstrates, the so-called Â"moderateÂ"
FSA is an integral and indistinguishable component of the proxy
terrorist army that Ankara and its Washington ally are supporting to
overthrow the elected government of President Assad. Any difference
is patently just a figment of imaginative propaganda.

Obama, while at the Paris climate change summit this week
(appropriately, a Â"hot-airÂ" conference of world leaders), has this
week reiterated calls on Russia to focus its military campaign on the
Islamic State and to halt its aerial attacks on Â"moderate rebelsÂ".

The American president and his Turk ally are in no position to lecture
anybody about Â"terroristsÂ" and Â"moderatesÂ". They are all part of
the same criminal gang, and that gang includes Obama and Erdogan.

© Strategic Culture Foundation

http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2015/12/03/massacre-proves-turk-washin
gton-complicity-in-syria-terror.html

[Yervant1]

Turkey's oil trade deal with IS no surprise ` Armenian Turkologist

12:45 ¢ 05.12.15
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2015/12/05/hovsepyan/1864601


The reports about Turkey's oil trade with the Islamic State (ISIS)
should not absolutely come as a surprise, an Armenian Turkologist has
said, noting that the country is a transit route and an interested
side in the oil sale transaction also from Iraq and Syria.

`That's really obvious, and the international community and the West
are aware of that. There have been revelations and publications
through different sources,' Levon Hovsepyan told Tert.am, adding that
he does not expect any international probe despite Russia's earlier
promise to submit a corresponding request to the United Nations.

`Everything will be within the frames of a political dialogue,' the
expert said, sharing his forecasts.

Asked to comment on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent
statement (expressing his readiness to resign in case the sale deal
with the ISIS proves true), Hovsepyan said he doesn't expect any
serious developments.

He said he doesn't think that Turkey will manage to resolve the trade
deal. `Different sides involved and uninvolved [in the process]
pursue their own interest, and that also accounts for the situation
today. It isn't, by and large, advantageous to raise the problem,' he
added.

But the expert admitted that Turkey's move to shoot down the Russian
jet is a serious attack deserving an adequate reaction. `It is a
problem for not only Russia, but also [Russian President] Vladimir
Putin personally,' he said, not ruling out the possibility of
military-political problems for Turkey.

The Turkologist said he expects the tension to deepen further, adding
that Russia seems to be more inclined to resort to more profound
sanctions against Turkey rather than initiate a dialogue.

[Yervant1]

TURKEY PLAYING 'DAESH CARD TO ACHIEVE ITS OWN GEOPOLITICAL GOALS'

© AP Photo/ Lefteris Pitarakis, File
POLITICS
15:04 07.12.2015Get short URL
141270

Turkey's double-standard policy toward the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist
group proves that Ankara has its own geopolitical goals in the region,
analysts said.

© REUTERS/ FABIAN BIMMER German Intelligence Fears Turkey's 'Double
Game' Turkey has rejected a US proposal to deploy additional troops
to seal the stretch of the Syrian-Turkish border controlled by Daesh
terrorists, local media reported last week.

The 98-kilometer stretch of the border is used by militants to
transport fighters and smuggle oil from Syria. The Turkish Prime
Minister explained that if the border is closed Ankara would not be
able to accept refugees.

Davutoglu added that the Turkish budget could not afford the deployment
of 30,000 troops to protect the border. The government also warned that
closing the border may provoke Daesh to take "responsive measures."

Davutoglu's words contradicted US State Secretary John Kerry's
statement made on December 2 following talks between President Barack
Obama and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

© SPUTNIK/ SERGEY GUNEEV Erdogan to Resist US Pressure on Closing
Turkish Border to Daesh Ankara is interested in stopping the illegal
oil trade and prevent foreign militants from travelling in both
directions, Kerry said.

According to the secretary, Erdogan expressed interest in the
necessary measures.

In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said December 2 that
Kurdish troops and US Special Operation forces could be deployed to
close the border.

That makes a divergence. Either Ankara is continuing its game with
Daesh and messing around with Moscow and Washington, or the US and
Turkey are playing the same game and Ankara's actions do not contradict
the US's strategic plan.

"Ankara's statements prove that the Turkish government is in disarray,"
Stanislav Tarasov, a Russian expert on the Middle East, told Svobodnaya
Pressa. "Erdogan says one thing, and Davutoglu says another."

At the same time, the US is really pressuring Turkey to close the
border, he underscored.

"Recently the US State Department acknowledged that Daesh trades oil
across the Syrian-Turkish border. This could mean that Washington
is leaning toward Russia's version and suspects Erdogan's family of
involvement in oil smuggling," the analyst explained.

"Of course, Turkey is one of the US's allies in NATO, and Washington
tries not to disavow the Turkish policy. But it keeps pressing to
close the border," he added.

© AFP 2015/ ADEM ALTAN Turkey Should be Kicked Out of NATO Over
Support of Extremism - NGO Ankara planned to establish a security zone
along the 98-kilometer stretch of the Syrian-Turkish border. There,
Turkey wanted to train militants to fight Syrian Kurds, Tarasov
said. The US blocked the initiative and deployed its troops and
aircraft to nearby areas.

Nevertheless, Turkey still wants to impose its own scenario and is
playing the Daesh card. "And it is losing the game," he said. "The
border is likely to be closed from the Syrian side. Terrorists will
be forced from the border zone with allied airstrikes."

"It is symptomatic of Turkey to be part of the anti-terrorist coalition
and not to take part in such an operation," Tarasov said.

Thus, Turkey is likely to continue using Daesh to achieve its own
geopolitical goals. Probably, it will let militants move from the
border zone to Turkish territory to save them from airstrikes and
then move them to Iraq.

"In fact, Turkey would support Daesh on two fronts - in Syria and
Iraq," the analyst explained.

© AFP 2015/ JACQUES DEMARTHON German Media: Is Erdogan's Son 'the
Oil Minister of Daesh'?

Turkey will be playing a double game. The border might be closed
partially to make it look like a decision by the Turkish government,
and not like a step back by Erdogan, Alexei Fenenko, a senior research
fellow at the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Svobodnaya Pressa.

"Erdogan understands if Ankara takes a back seat to Moscow and
Washington and closes the border it would be a serious blow to Turkey's
reputation. It is not about oil business, it is all about reputation,"
he said.

Moreover, Turkey is currently trying to show its military power as
it is concerned about a coalition Russia, Greece, Armenia and Kurds
are building against it, Fenenko added.

"As for Russia, we have means to respond to Turkey, and I'm talking
about a military attack. Ankara realizes this, and tries to make
Washington or London pledge their support for it," he concluded.

Read more:
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20151207/1031360411/turkey-daesh-geopolitical-goals.html#ixzz3tdgE8j9L

[Yervant1]

ARAB LEAGUE SLAMS TURKEY'S 'BLATANT INTERVENTION' IN IRAQ

© AP Photo/ Burhan Ozbilici
MIDDLE EAST
14:19 07.12.2015Get short URL
52362391

The international backlash against Turkey has continued, with the
Arab League being the latest organization to condemn the deployment
of Turkish troops in Northern Iraq, labeling the incident an
"intervention."

Following international criticism at Turkey's decision to send
troops into Northern Iraq to train Kurdish forces without Baghdad's
permission, Nabil Elaraby, Secretary-General of the Arab League,
said the act was a "blatant intervention."

He told newspaper Al Youm El Sabea that while the Arab League couldn't
take direct action against Turkey, they could release a statement
condemning Ankara for the breach of Iraq's national sovereignty.

Elaraby also warned that if Turkey continued to intervene in Iraqi
territory without permission, then the Arab League would go to the
UN Security Council to try and resolve the issue.

The furor comes after more than 100 Turkish troops, along with tanks
and artillery, entered Kurdish-controlled territory in Northern Iraq.

Turkish officials said the deployment was merely part of a routine
training exercise with Kurdish forces to help them fight against Daesh,
also known as ISIL.

However, Iraqi officials angrily criticized Turkey's actions, saying
that the move was a "serious breach of sovereignty."

With tensions rising, Baghdad on Sunday threatened to go to the UN
Security Council unless Turkey removed its forces within 48 hours.

"Iraq has the right to use all available options, including resorting
to the UN Security Council if these forces are not withdrawn within
48 hours," Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a statement.

Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi backed his prime minister,
saying that Turkey needed to consult with the Iraqi government,
regardless of what their motives were in the fight against jihadist
groups in the region.

"No matter the size of the force entering Iraq, it is rejected. It
was possible to undertake this sort of prior coordination without
creating circumstances which contributed to a crisis between the two
countries," al-Obeidi said.

Turkey has come under serious international criticism over the
country's actions in recent times, particularly following the shooting
down of a Russian jet last month, which resulted in the death of one
Russian pilot.

The incident sparked a rebuke from fellow NATO member states, and
led Russian President Vladimir Putin to label Turkey as "accomplices
of terrorists."

Read more:
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151207/1031356221/arab-league-condemns-turkey-iraq-intervention.html#ixzz3tdgLDFGJ

[Yervant1]

WHITE HOUSE WEBSITE PETITION DEMANDS US GOVERNMENT TO LIST TURKEY AS A STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM

December 7, 2015

The official white house website whitehouse.gov has published a
petition which demands the US government to list Turkey as a state
sponsor of terrorism. Here is the full text of the petition.

LIST ERDOGAN'S TURKEY AS STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM; VOID U.S.

ALLIANCE WITH TURKEY

Following Turkey's downing of a Russian jet striking the Islamic State
(IS), it is undeniable that Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdogan supports jihad
terrorism in Syria. IS exports oil via Turkey and terrorists of IS,
al-Qaeda, and other jihad groups transit the border.

This builds upon a pattern of Ankara's support for terrorists in other
countries: Russia (Chechnya), China (Xinjiang), Israel/Gaza (Hamas),
Yugoslavia (Bosnia), Serbia (Kosovo), Georgia (Pankisi), Egypt (Muslim
Brotherhood); aggression against neighbors (invasion and occupation
of Cyprus, violation of Greece's airspace, blockade of Armenia); and
denial of genocides against Christian Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrians.

Turkey should be listed as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. The U.S.

alliance with Turkey under NATO should be voided

Published Date: Dec 02, 2015
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/list-erdogans-turkey-state-sponsor-terrorism-void-us-alliance-turkey
http://www.horizonweekly.ca/news/details/77724

[Yervant1]

ARMENIAN POLITICAL ANALYST ACCURATELY PREDICTED STILL THREE YEARS AGO

December 8 2015

In August 2012, "Face to Face" TV program of "Aravot" invited Doctor
of Political Sciences Levon Shirinyan. The subject for discussion
was the regional and geopolitical consequences of the Syrian crisis.

During this program, Levon Shirinyan predicted what happened three
years later, particularly saying that Russia would have a tougher
stance in the Syrian crisis, reasoning, "If Russia leaves Syria,
it leaves the Mediterranean region for decades, perhaps forever,
and it is over, if Russia does not give the final fight for Syria
in this region, be sure that it will try to be restored, or else,
I do not know. Therefore, I think, its position will be firmer as
the crisis goes deeper." In fact, he added, "Now, these may seem
theoretical judgments today, but in the global politics, very often
such things happen that are extremely unlikely, for example, the
collapse of the Soviet Union." "Aravot" daily

Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2015/12/08/173312/

[Yervant1]

WIRES CROSSED: RUSSIA, NOT TURKEY, EUROPE'S REAL ALLY IN WAR AGAINST DAESH

© Ministry of defence of the Russian Federation
Politics
20:01 08.12.2015(updated 20:19 08.12.2015) Get short URL
41734162

Noted geopolitical analyst Varoujan Sirapian says that in the global
war against Daesh (ISIL/ISIS), Europe's leaders have gotten their
wires crossed, putting sanctions on Russia while partnering with
Erdogan's Turkey.

© Sputnik/ Dmitriy Vinogradov Over 60% of French Citizens Consider
Su-24 Downing by Ankara Unjustified In his most recent op-ed for
independent political analysis website Boulevard Voltaire, Sirapian,
the founder and president of the Paris-based Tchobanian Institute,
suggests that in the common war against Daesh, "Europe is mistaken in
imposing sanctions against its weighty ally in Moscow, while buckling
before Erdogan."

The analyst notes that "at first glance, the question of whether
Turkey can be considered an ally to Europe may seem astonishing."

After all, "Turkey has the second-largest army in NATO, and is an EU
candidate, and as such must be regarded by default as a reliable ally
to the West."

However, according to Sirapian, this might have been the case,
"were it not for the instability surrounding identity among Turkey's
population; the prospects for the secession of the eastern regions
with a predominantly Kurdish population has never been more real."

"I am speaking here precisely about 'Turkey's population', and not
'the Turkish people'," Sirapian emphasized. "After all," he asked,
"is it really possible to think of this country as one united whole,
if its territory is inhabited by nearly two dozen different ethnic
groups? Even if we take just the Kurds and the Alevis, they account
for 15 million of Turkey's population of 75 million."

According to the analyst, Turkey's "double game" of being more
aggressive in their war against the Kurds than against the Daesh
terrorists, "can be explained in large measure" by "the Turkish
leadership's deathly fear of the prospect of an independent Kurdistan
appearing to the east of Anatolia."

© REUTERS/ Christian Hartmann 'Many Countries Are Fed Up With
Double-Dealing Turkey' "Since August 2014, Turkey had launched 300
strikes against Kurds in Iraq and Syria, and only 3 against Daesh! The
Battle for Kobani will always be remembered as a symbol of betrayal."

In Sirapian's view, far from being an ace up the sleeve of the
anti-Daesh coalition, Erdogan's Turkey, at best, plays the role of
dead weight.

"During the G-20 Summit in Antalya on November 15, President Putin
presented evidence that a number of states were providing support
for Daesh. He spoke openly about the personal responsibility of
the Turkish president for systematic violations of Security Council
resolutions and for financing Daesh."

"It was after these revelations," Sirapian noted, "that Presidents
Putin and Obama agreed on the destruction of a column of tanker trucks
belonging to Erdogan's family, in order to put an end to the illegal
oil trade, which serves as the main source of the terrorists' income.

On that day, the US struck convoys in Iraq, while Russian air power
destroyed over 500 vehicles in Syria."

According to the analyst, "if the West really wants to destroy Daesh,
it must demand that Erdogan stop his attacks on the Kurds, so that
they could safely fight against the terrorists. If the Kurds were
to seize Jarabulus (a Daesh-controlled town on the Turkish border),
this would block the supply of Raqqa (the self-proclaimed caliphate's
de-facto capital), and the flow of human and material resources. The
fact that Erdogan considers it inadmissible for the Kurds to capture
the city says quite a lot."

Looking back to history, Sirapian recalls that "during the Second
World War, Turkey joined the Allies only in February, 1945, their
entry coming late, and meaningless to the Allies from a military point
of view. But this allowed Turkey to participate in the peace process
on the side of the victors. Drawing on these lessons from history,
today's coalition must urge Turkey to decide here and now which camp
they belong to in the war against Daesh."

© REUTERS/ Tolga Bozoglu/Pool Erdogan's Refugee Trick: Is Ankara
Blackmailing EU Into Dancing to Its Tune?

Ultimately, the analyst believes that "Europe is making a mistake in
imposing sanctions against Russia, a weighty ally, while buckling
before Erdogan (and turning a blind eye to his dangerous ties to
Daesh), all in the hopes of cooperation on migrants. Europe must
urgently change its policy, and reject Turkish blackmail over the
migrant crisis, in order to finally allow those who fight against
Daesh to bring their rescue mission to its conclusion."

Read more:
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20151208/1031433056/anti-daesh-war-europe-russia-turkey.html#ixzz3tkkifWUb

[Yervant1]

WASHINGTON REMAINS BLIND TO ANKARA'S COMPLICITY IN TERRORISM

© AFP 2015/ OZAN KOSE
POLITICS
18:36 08.12.2015(updated 20:38 08.12.2015) Get short URL
1285264

Although Turkish President Erdogan insists that he never smuggled
oil from Syria, it does not sound convincing, security consultant and
Veteran's Today senior editor Gordon Duff notes, adding that Erdogan's
illicit oil trade with Daesh (IS/ISIL) is just the tip of the iceberg.

While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is playing innocent
and pledging to resign if he receives proof of his involvement in
Daesh's oil smuggling, evidence is mounting that Turkey has taken
part in other sinister activities in Syria and Iraq.

"While Erdogan talks only of oil, there are other issues to note
as well. First of all, let's talk about arms shipments that cross
Turkey and move into Syria and Iraq. By Erdogan's claim of total
innocence, we must assume that ISIS (Daesh), al-Qaeda and the other
openly terrorist groups that make up 95% of those fighting against
Iraq and Syria are operating without any outside supplies," Gordon
Duff writes in his recent article for New Eastern Outlook. Duff is
a US Marine combat veteran who served during the Vietnam War and is
senior editor of Veterans Today.

© AFP 2015/ RAMI AL-SAYED Orwellian Riddle: How Did Al-Qaeda in
Syria Become Washington's Friend?

To some extent this was true, the expert notes, referring to the fact
that back in 2012, Daesh obtained hundreds of American Humvees and
Abrams tanks, not to mention a few Syrian Air Force planes.

"In fact, much of the best of this equipment, including dozens of
updated Soviet-era T-72 tanks, are in wait inside Turkey, protected
by Erdogan for that 'drive on Damascus' that seems more and more
unlikely as time goes on," Duff remarks.

The military expert points out that much of the fighting is for
control of roads in and out Turkey. These roads are used for carrying
oil from Daesh-controlled regions to Turkey and for transporting arms
and supplies from Turkey to Islamist militants.

Duff contends that when Erdogan claims that nothing of the kind
is going on in Turkey, it sounds ridiculous: Russia's surveillance
photos clearly show that thousands of oil trucks are moving from the
Daesh-held territory to Turkey and crossing the Syrian-Turkish border.

"They don't go anyplace else, there is no place else," the expert
stresses.

© REUTERS/ AMMAR ABDULLAH Turkey-Daesh Criminal Ties Extend
Beyond Oil Smuggling, Stretch Across EU And that is not all, Duff
continues. Syrian Minister of Justice Dr.

Najm Hamad al-Ahmad has repeatedly called attention to the Turkish
organized crime in Syria and Iraq: some Turkish groups have been
engaged in the systematic looting of oil, antiquities and, in a word,
"everything that wasn't nailed down," the veteran narrates.

However, Turkey's most glaring misdeed -- the theft of an entire
Syrian automobile assembly plant from the suburbs of Aleppo --
remains largely neglected, he adds.

The expert wonders why the Turkish-Syrian border remained unsealed
for almost four years. There is a lot of talk about the necessity
to close the border, to stop the continuous trafficking of oil,
arms and fighters in and out of Turkey, and thus cut off Daesh's
lifeline. But there is a little if any action on the part of Ankara
and Western leaders.

"Every aspect of this cross-border traffic involves the government
and military of Turkey and its complicity in support of terrorism,
five minutes with a map will tell anyone this," Duff stresses.

"Why are ISIS (Daesh) and al-Nusra [Front] so dependent on the Turkish
border, why do they fight so hard to keep the roads to Turkey open?

Why is this lifeline [there] if Turkey is, in no way as Erdogan
asserts, involved in support of terrorism?" the veteran asks.

It is unlikely that Recep Erdogan would ever recognize his role
in oil smuggling. Instead, he demands the detention of journalists,
military officers and judicial officials who try "to stop Ankara's and
Erdogan's full and absolute complicity in terrorism," Duff underscores.

Remarkably, Washington remains blind to this.

Read more:
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20151208/1031421305/washington-blind-turkey-complicity-terrorism-daesh-isil-oil-erdogan.html#ixzz3tklRnkL4

[Yervant1]

MOSCOW WARNED TURKEY TO REFRAIN FROM TEMPTATION OF DEPLOYING TROOPS IN SYRIA

10:35, 9 December, 2015

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Russia hopes the reaction of members
of the UN Security Council to Turkey's deployment of the military in
Iraq will "cool hot minds in Ankara" and they will not undertake new
reckless activities, including in Syria, Russia's Ambassador to UN
Vitaly Churkin told reporters after the closed meeting of the Security
Council, "Armenpress" reports, citing TASS.

"We hope the concern, expressed by the UN secretary general and some
members of the Security Council during the meeting we have initiated
will cool down the hot minds in Ankara and that they will settle
the situation in Iraq the way it will satisfy the Iraqi government,"
the diplomat said, adding Russia hopes after that Turkey "will not
undertake any new reckless actions, including in Syria's territory."

The Russian envoy said Turkey's actions were unexpected to the US,
though Washington chose not to criticize the ally. He said he came
to this conclusion as he visited Washington in a delegation of the
UN Security Council members' ambassadors. The diplomats had a meeting
with US President Barack Obama and visited a briefing at Pentagon.

"Though, of course, they cannot in our presence criticize their ally
- Turkey, but it was clear that in fact they were not happy with
the actions Turkey had undertaken. I have come to the conclusion
those actions were unexpected for the US, which is strange in fact,
which once again proves Turkey is an unpredictable player, which may
undertake actions, which may not only cause protest among the Iraqis
but which may bewilder the US"

He said the situation around Turkey's deployment of the military in
Iraq is worrying "for several reasons."

"It reveals several major drawbacks in actions of the international
community in fighting terrorists in the territories of Syria and
Iraq," the Russian ambassador said. He stressed the US-led coalition
against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group (outlawed in Russia),
which includes Turkey, "is not fully legal," as it acts on approval
of the government of Iraq, but has not received a consent from Syria.

The diplomat said Russia and the US are drafting jointly the UN
Security Council resolution on fighting terrorism, which will focus on
the threat from IS and oil trade with extremists. The document may be
adopted at a meeting on December 18, which will be chaired by the U.S.

Secretary of State John Kerry.

"It will be a vast, overwhelming resolution on fighting terrorism,
which will build up greatly the potential of the Security Council in
fighting the terrorist threat," the diplomat said. "We are quite sure
the resolution will be ready by December 18."

In the document, he said, IS will be highlighted as a separate
terrorist movement - till now the Security Council has considered
the group a branch of al-Qaeda. Besides, the document will increase
control over fulfillment of resolution 2199, adopted in February,
which bans trade with terrorists of oil and cultural heritage objects.

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/828922/moscow-warned-turkey-to-refrain-from-temptation-of-deploying-troops-in-syria.html

[Yervant1]

AINA- Assyrian International News Agency
Dec 13 2015


List of Assyrian and Other Churches Destroyed in Syria
Posted 2015-12-13 02:15 GMT

St. Mary's Assyrian Church in the northeastern Syrian village of Tal
Nasri, destroyed by ISIS.(AINA) -- The following is a list of Assyrian
churches and monasteries in Syria that have been destroyed by ISIS and
other Muslim groups. Also included is a list of non-Assyrian churches
that have been destroyed.

Attacks on Christians in Syria began almost immediately after the
Syrian civil war began. The attacks have targeted villages, churches
monasteries and the clergy, and have been perpetrated by Al-Qaeda, The
Al-Nusra Front, ISIS and other Muslim groups.

Destroyed Assyrian Churches

On February 23 ISIS attacked the 35 Assyrian villages on the Khabur
river in Hasaka, Syria, capturing 253 Assyrians. In the subsequent
months it destroyed 11 churches and villages, rendering some villages
uninhabitable.

VillageChurch

Tel Nasri - St. Mary Church
Tel Jazirah - St. John Church
Tel Shamiram - St. Bishu Church
Tel Talaa - St. Sleewa Church
Abu Tena - St. Shimun Church
Qabr Shamiya - St. Qoryaqos Church
Tel Baloaa - St. Shimon Church
Kharita - St. Shimun Church
Tel Meghada - St. Qoryaqos Church
Tel Tal - St. Odisho Church
Tel Hormizd - Raban Pityou Church

Monasteries

St. Elian monastery in Qaryatain, Syria, which is near Homs, was
destroyed by ISIS after it captured Qaryatain on August 6 (AINA
2015-08-20).

Non Assyrian Churches

The St. Rita Tilel Armenian Church in Aleppo was bombed by ISIS on
April 28 (AINA 2015-04-29).
The Armenian Genocide Memorial Church in Der Zor was destroyed by ISIS
in September, 2014.
The Greek Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation in the
northern city of Raqa was torched by ISIS
The Armenian Catholic Church of the Martyrs was torched by ISIS and
its cross atop its clock tower removed.
Our Lady of Peace church was occupied by the rebels.


http://www.aina.org/news/20151212211531.htm

[Yervant1]

EXCLUSIVE: SARIN MATERIALS BROUGHT VIA TURKEY & MIXED IN SYRIAN ISIS CAMPS - TURKISH MP TO RT

Published time: 14 Dec, 2015 05:03Edited time: 14 Dec, 2015 11:06

http://on.rt.com/6zep

© Mohammad Abdullah / Reuters
2.4K26
Islamic State terrorists in Syria received all necessary materials to
produce deadly sarin gas via Turkey, Turkish MP Eren Erdem has told
RT, insisting there are grounds to believe a cover up has taken place.

TrendsIslamic State, Syria unrest

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) member, Erdem,
brought up the issue for public discussion in parliament last week,
citing evidence from an abruptly-closed criminal case. He accused
Ankara of failing to investigate Turkish supply routes used to provide
terrorists with toxic sarin gas ingredients.

"There is data in this indictment. Chemical weapon materials are being
brought to Turkey and being put together in Syria in camps of ISIS
which was known as Iraqi Al Qaeda during that time," Erdem told RT.

Sarin gas is a military-grade chemical that was used in a notorious
attack on Ghouta and several other neighborhoods near the Syrian
capital of Damascus in 2013. The attacks were pinned on the Syrian
leadership, who in turn agreed to get rid of all chemical weapons
stockpiles under a UN-brokered deal amid an imminent threat of US
intervention.

Addressing parliamentarians on Thursday, Erdem showed a copy of
the criminal case number 2013/120 that was opened by the General
Prosecutor's Office in the city of Adana in southern Turkey.

The investigation revealed that a number of Turkish citizens took
part in negotiations with Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL)
representatives on the supply of sarin gas. Pointing to evidence cited
in the criminal case, he said that wiretapped phone conversations
proved that an Al-Qaeda militant, Hayyam Kasap, acquired sarin.

"These are all detected. There are phone recordings of this shipment
like 'don't worry about the border, we'll take care of it' and we
also see the bureaucracy is being used," continued Erdem.

Based on the gathered evidence Adana authorities conducted raids and
arrested 13 suspects in the case. But a week later, inexplicably,
the case was closed and all the suspects immediately crossed the
Turkish-Syrian border, Erdem said.

READ MORE: Turkish prosecutors indict Syrian rebels for seeking
chemical weapons

"About the shipment, Republic prosecutor of Adana, Mehmet Arıkan,
made an operation and the related people were detained. But as far
as I understand he was not an influential person in bureaucracy. A
week after, another public prosecutor was assigned, took over the
indictment and all the detainees were released. And they left Turkey
crossing the Syrian border," he said.

Read more Homemade sarin was used in attack near Damascus - Lavrov

"The phone recordings in the indictment showed all the details from
how the shipment was going to be made to how it was prepared, from
the content of the labs to the source of the materials. Which trucks
were going to be used, all dates etc. From A to Z, everything was
discussed and recorded. Despite all of this evidence, the suspects
were released," he said.

READ MORE: 'Abandoned' barrels containing deadly sarin seized in
rebel-held Syria

"And the shipment happened," Erdem added. "Because no one stopped
them. That's why maybe the sarin gas used in Syria is a result
of this."

Speaking to RT, Erdem said that according to some evidence Turkish
Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation was also involved, with
some unconfirmed reports pointing in the direction of a government
cover up, with Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdag's involvement.

Certain evidence suggests Bozdag wanted to know beforehand from the
sarin gas producer when and if the Islamists will use the chemical
weapon.

"When I read the indictment, I saw clearly that these people have
relationships with The Machinery and Chemical Industry Institution of
Turkey and they don't have any worries about crossing the border. For
example in Hayyam Kasap's phone records, you hear him saying sarin
gas many times, saying that the ateliers are ready for production,
materials are waiting in trucks which were supposedly carrying club
soda,"he told RT.

The parliamentarian said that now he feels like there is a witch
hunt against him, after he confronted the justice minister. Bozdag,
according to Erdem denied only the part that he wanted to get notified
about the operations beforehand.

Read more Reports of massive chemical attack near Damascus as UN
observers arrive in Syria

Furthermore, Erdem argues that the West purposely blamed the regime
of Bashar Assad for the August 2013 attacks and used it as part of
the pretext to make US military intervention in Syria possible. The
MP said that evidence in Adana's case, according to his judgment,
proves that IS was responsible.

"For example the chemical attack in Ghouta. Remember. It was claimed
that the regime forces were behind it. This attack was conducted just
days before the sarin operation in Turkey. It's a high probability that
this attack was carried out with those basic materials shipped through
Turkey. It is said the regime forces are responsible but the indictment
says it's ISIS. UN inspectors went to the site but they couldn't find
any evidence. But in this indictment, we've found the evidence. We
know who used the sarin gas, and our government knows it too," he said.

At the same time, Erdem also accused the West and Europe in particular
for providing "basic materials"to create such a powerful chemical
weapon.

"All basic materials are purchased from Europe. Western institutions
should question themselves about these relations. Western sources
know very well who carried out the sarin gas attack in Syria. They
know these people, they know who these people are working with, they
know that these people are working for Al-Qaeda. I think is Westerns
are hypocrats about the situation," he concluded.

[gamavor]

It is sickening to see what is going on in Syria and I wonder why in the hell the State Department wanted to have open Turkish-Armenian border? Why in the hell a major world power would like Armenia to have an open border with terrrorist, hostile and genocidal neighbour?

[MosJan]

Ռուսաստանը 3 պայման է առաջադրել Թուրքիային` կապված Սու-24-ի միջադեպի հետ

 

Թուրքիայում Ռուսաստանի դեսպան Անդրեյ Կառլովը 3 պայման է հայտնել Մոսկվայի և Անկարայի միջև հարաբերություններում ստեղծված ճգնաժամը հաղթահարելու համար, որն ի հայտ է եկել թուրքական օդուժի կողմից ռուսական ռազմական ինքնաթիռը խոցելուց հետո:

Ինչպես մեջբերում է Hurriyet Daily News-ը` Կառլովի խոսքով` առաջին հերթին Թուրքիան պետք է ներողություն խնդրի Սու-24-ի վրա հարձակում գործելու համար, որը հանգեցրել է երկու ռուս զինծառայողի մահվան:

Երկրորդ հերթին, Ռուսաստանը կարծում է, որ Թուրքիայի իշխանությունները պետք է գտնեն և պատժեն տվյալ միջադեպի պատասխանատուներին:

Բացի այդ, Թուրքիան պետք է փոխհատուցի միջադեպից պատճառված վնասը, որը կրել է ռուսական կողմը:

Դիվանագետը ընդգծել է, որ ինքնանետում իրականացրած ռուս օդաչուի վրա կրակել է Թուրքիայի քաղաքացին:

[MosJan]

Turkey’s patience with Russia "has a limit" - media
Turkey’s patience with Russia
December 14, 2015 - 18:49 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey's foreign minister said Ankara's patience with Russia "has a limit" after Moscow's "exaggerated" reaction to a weekend naval incident between the two countries, an Italian newspaper reported on Monday, December 14, according to Reuters.

A Russian destroyer fired warning shots at a Turkish vessel in the Aegean on Sunday to avoid a collision and summoned the Turkish military attache over the incident.

"Ours was only a fishing boat, it seems to me that the reaction of the Russian naval ship was exaggerated," Mevlut Cavusoglu told Italian daily Corriere della Sera in an interview.

"Russia and Turkey certainly have to re-establish the relations of trust that we have always had, but our patience has a limit," Cavusoglu said.

The incident is likely to heighten tensions between the two nations who are at odds over Syria and Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane last month.

Cavusoglu said Russia had already "put itself in a ridiculous position" with accusations by its President Vladimir Putin that Turkey had shot down the jet to protect oil supplies from Islamic State.

He also criticized Russia's military intervention in Syria, saying it was aimed at propping up the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, not combating Islamic State.

"Unfortunately Russia is not in Syria to fight terrorists," he said, adding that only 8 percent of its air strikes had been aimed at Islamic State while 92 percent were against other groups hostile to Assad.

Cavusoglu also said air strikes were not sufficient to defeat Islamic State and soldiers on the ground were necessary, according to the interview.

[MosJan]

still no word from Hovannnes ??

[Yervant1]

SYRIAN ARMY FREES KEY AREAS CLOSE TO TURKISH BORDER

13:17, 15 Dec 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Photo: AP Photo/ Alexander Kots

The Syrian Armed Forces, assisted by Russian warplanes, have been
on a roll in northern Latakia, taking two strategic highways under
control, destroying scores of terrorists and forcing militants out
of key border areas with Turkey, the Fars news agency reported,
citing an unnamed Syrian officer.

The Qastal Ma'af road and Lattakia-Kassab highway, which were not
operational for at least two years, have now been reopened.

"The recapture of Turkmen mountain (Jabal al-Turkmen) by the Syrian
forces played a significant role in reopening the [Lattakia-Kassab]
highway," the media outlet quoted the source as saying.

The Qastal Ma'af road connects the provincial capital of Latakia and
Kassab, a checkpoint on the border with Turkey. The town of the same
name, located some 7 miles to the south of the border, is predominantly
populated by the Turkmen.

Militants are reported to have fled to the town of Rabia following
the government offensive. Damascus-led forces are planning to focus
their efforts on liberating the town.

The Syrian Arab Army also pushed terrorists out of Height 713 and
al-Koz mountain after Russian warplanes launched airstrikes against
militant targets in the area.

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151215/1031753371/syria-latakia-turkey-counterterrorism-operation.html

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/12/15/syrian-army-frees-key-areas-close-to-turkish-border/

[Yervant1]

SYRIAC CHRISTIAN FEMALE FIGHTERS BATTLING IS ON FRONTLINES - DAILY MAIL

21:15 â~@¢ 14.12.15

Babylonia has no regrets about leaving behind her two children and
her former job as a hairdresser to join a Christian female militia
battling against the Islamic State group in Syria.

The 36-year-old soldier from the Syriac Christian minority in
northeastern Syria believes she is making the future safe for her
children after joining a new all-female Syriac militia.

"I miss Limar and Gabriella and worry that they must be hungry,
thirsty and cold. But I try to tell them I'm fighting to protect
their future," she told AFP.

Babylonia belongs to a small, recently created battalion of Syriac
Christian women in Hasakeh province who are fighting ISIS.

They are following in the footsteps of Syria's other main female force
battling the jihadists - the women of the YPJ, the female counterpart
to the Kurdish People's Protection Units or YPG.

Although the new militia group is small, it is expected to grow
in size.

One of its training camps has already produced around 50 graduates
in the town of Al-Qahtaniyeh, also known as Kabre Hyore in Syriac.

The militia is known as the 'Female Protection Forces of the Land
Between the Two Rivers,' referring to the area between the Tigris
and Euphrates waterways historically inhabited by Syriacs.

Babylonia revealed it was actually her husband who encouraged her
to leave their children Limar, nine, and six-year-old Gabriella,
in order to join the unit whose first recruits graduated in August.

Babylonia's husband is also a soldier and he urged her to take up
arms to "fight against the idea that the Syriac woman is good for
nothing except housekeeping and make-up"

"I'm a practising Christian and thinking about my children makes
me stronger and more determined in my fight against Daesh (ISIS),"
added Babylonia.

Syriac Christians belong to the eastern Christian tradition and
pray in Aramaic. They include both Orthodox and Catholic branches,
and constitute around 15 percent of Syria's 1.2 million Christians.

Before the conflict began in March 2011, Christians from some 11
different sects made up around five percent of the population.

The unit's first major action was alongside the newly created Syrian
Democratic Forces, a coalition of Kurdish, Arab and Christian fighters,
which recently recaptured the strategic town of Al-Hol.

"I'm a practising Christian and thinking about my children makes
me stronger and more determined in my fight against Daesh (ISIS),"
added Babylonia.

Syriac Christians belong to the eastern Christian tradition and
pray in Aramaic. They include both Orthodox and Catholic branches,
and constitute around 15 percent of Syria's 1.2 million Christians.

Before the conflict began in March 2011, Christians from some 11
different sects made up around five percent of the population.

The unit's first major action was alongside the newly created Syrian
Democratic Forces, a coalition of Kurdish, Arab and Christian fighters,
which recently recaptured the strategic town of Al-Hol.

With its limited combat experience, the unit for now focuses mainly
on protecting majority Christian parts of Hasakeh province.

Thabirta Samir, 24, who helps oversee the training, estimates that
around 50 fighters have graduated so far.

"I used to work for a Syriac cultural association, but now I take
pleasure in working in the military field,' she said.

"I'm not afraid of Daesh, and we will be present in the coming battles
against the terrorists.'

Samir said both local and 'foreign forces' helped train the women,
without specifying the nationality of the foreigners.

In late November, Kurdish sources said US soldiers had entered the
town of Kobane in northern Syria to train Kurdish fighters and plan
offensives.

Some women cited what is known as the Sayfo ('Sword') massacres
in 1915 of Syriac, Assyrian and Chaldean Christians as reasons for
joining the unit.

"We are a community that is oppressed by others," said 18-year-old
Ithraa. She joined four months ago inspired by the memory of Sayfo,
in which Ottoman authorities are said to have killed tens of thousands
of Christians in Turkey and Iran.

She said the community hoped to prevent "a new massacre like that
committed by the Ottomans... when they tried to erase our Christian
and Syriac identity".

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3358261/The-Christian-women-left-jobs-studies-children-Kalashnikovs-fight-against-ISIS.html

http://www.tert.am/en/news/2015/12/14/syriac-female/1874015

[Yervant1]

Maltese ships owned by Turkish president's son being implicated in
ISIS oil trade
By Asia Times Editor
December 14, 2015

(From the Independent)

As Russia continues to accuse Turkey and its presidential family of
directly benefitting from the trade in oil with the Islamic State, it
transpires that the oil tankers allegedly involved in the illicit
business are registered in Malta and all fly the Maltese flag.

Moreover, at least one of dozens of companies set up in Malta by
Azerbaijani billionaire Mubariz Mansimov--which over the last year
sold oil tankers to Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan--is also at the centre of the accusations.

Russia's allegations of Turkish involvement in ISIS' oil trade have
focused primarily on the Turkish president's son, Bilal Erdogan. The
34-year-old is one of three equal partners in the BMZ group, a major
Turkish oil and marine shipping company, which both the Russian and
Syrian governments have accused of purchasing oil from ISIS.

Russian and Syrian officials and media reports from those countries
suggest that Bilal Erdogan has been directly involved in the oil trade
with ISIS, and that Turkey downed a Russian jet on 24 November
specifically to protect his oil smuggling business.

Regional politics, propaganda and the Russia-Turkey sabre-rattling
aside, the crux of the matter as far as Malta is concerned is that the
fleet of five tankers owned by Erdogan's son, which are being linked
to the illegal trade, are all registered in Malta. Should the
accusations continue to grow in this respect, Transport Malta would
eventually be called in to investigate since the ships fly the Maltese
maritime flag.

Last September, the BMZ Group purchased two oil tankers from the
Malta-based Oil Transportation & Shipping Services Co Ltd, which is
owned by Azerbaijani billionaire Mubariz Mansimov and which is
reported to be an affiliate of the BMZ Group.

Another three oil tankers purchased by BMZ were acquired from Palmali
Shipping and Transportation Agency, which is also owned by Mansimov
and which shares the same Istanbul address, according to the
International Maritime Organization registry, with Oil Transportation
& Shipping Services Co Ltd, which is owned by Mansimov's Palmali
Group, along with dozens of other companies set up in Malta. These
include a number of the group's holding companies, shipping companies,
and offshore services companies.

The Palmali Group is based in Istanbul but the lion's share of its
holdings and businesses appear to be registered in Malta through
dozens of offshore companies. The ships--purchased from Oil
Transportation & Shipping Services Co Ltd and Palmali--which Turkish
or other regional media have at one time or another confirmed as
belonging to Bilal are: the Mecid Aslanov, the Begim Aslanova, the
Poet Qabil, the Armada Breeze; and the Shovket Alekperova. They all
fly the Maltese flag.

In addition to Russian accusations, Syrian Information Minister Omran
Zoabi also recently alleged that Turkey downed the Russian bomber over
Syria in November in response to the destruction of hundreds of truck
oil tankers sent to Turkey from Syria by the ISIS.

The information minister alleged that oil smuggled into Turkey was
bought by the Turkish president's son, who owns an oil company.

Mr al-Zoubi said in an interview, "All of the oil was delivered to a
company that belongs to the son of Recep [Tayyip] Erdogan. This is why
Turkey became anxious when Russia began delivering airstrikes against
the IS infrastructure and destroyed more than 500 trucks with oil
already. This really got on Erdogan and his company's nerves. They're
importing not only oil, but wheat and historic artefacts as well."

Bilal Erdogan denies Russian allegations

Bilal Erdogan this week denied continuous Russian allegations that he
and his family were profiting from the illegal smuggling of oil from
ISIS-held territory in Syria and Iraq, after Russia's defence ministry
said it had proof that the Erdogan family was benefiting directly from
this trade.

The Turkish government has already dismissed the accusations and on
Tuesday the president's son added his voice to the many denials.

"We build offices in Istanbul ... We do not do business in the
Mediterranean, in Syria or Iraq," he was quoted as saying in Corriere
della Sera newspaper, talking about his own corporate concerns, which
have been called into question by Russian media.

"ISIS is an enemy of my country. ISIS is a disgrace. It puts my
religion in a bad light. They don't represent Islam and I do not
consider them to be Muslims," he said.

He also denied he had any operational shipping activities, saying his
company had a contract to build "river tankers" for a Russian client,
but that it did not operate the ships itself.

Instead, he said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was profiting
from the sale of ISIS oil. "If you follow ISIS oil, you will find
Assad."

"What happened concerning the Russian jet was unpleasant, but we have
to concentrate on the real problems: ISIS and the future of Syria,"
Bilal Erdogan said.


http://atimes.com/2015/12/maltese-ships-owned-by-turkish-presidents-son-being-implicated-in-isis-oil-trade/