Posts
Developments
in the Middle East as well as elsewhere are fast-moving. They are
complicated and convuluted.
For
instance there is one group of Kurds (the Barzani clan in northern
Iraq) being supported by Turkey while it suppresses another.
The
conflict spans the whole world from Ukraine to the South China Sea.
The Middle East is unique in that every power in the region as well
as the large players are involved.
This
was described by Mark Sleboda in a radio discussion yesterday as
PROTO WORLD WAR 111.
Iran
Has 'Irrefutable Evidence' of Turkey-Daesh Cooperation
Iran’s
Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaie said earlier that Tehran
was ready to provide Ankara with necessary information regarding
Daesh oil trade with Turkey.
7
December, 2015
“Iranian
military advisors in Syria have taken photos and filmed all the
routes used by ISIL's oil tankers to Turkey. If the Turkish
authorities are unaware of the Daesh oil sales in their country, then
we can provide them with such intelligence,” Rezaie told reporters
on Friday.
An
undated still image taken from a video made available by the Russian
Defence Ministry in Moscow, Russia December 2, 2015, shows the
Turkish-Syrian border crossing. Russia's defence ministry officials
displayed satellite images on Wednesday which they said showed
columns of tanker trucks loading with oil at installations controlled
by Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and then crossing the border into
neighbouring Turkey
Talking
to Sputnik Persian in an exclusive interview, Iranian diplomat and
analyst Seyed Hadi Afghahi said, “It is important to point out a
few key points. Firstly, it is important to understand whether it is
sure that the purchase by Turkey of Daesh’s stolen oil was carried
out with the full knowledge of President Erdogan, his son and son in
law.”
He
further said that as evidence there have been two sets of documents.
The first was presented at the press conference of the Ministry of
Defense of Russia, where all the details have been made public such
as snapshots and videos that clearly and conclusively prove what was
said. “These materials do not cause any doubts about their
authenticity. The reaction of Erdogan and Turkish authorities can say
one thing: they were stunned and shocked that Moscow has such
evidence. This significantly affected the position of Turkey's NATO
allies.”
The
analyst also said that it is not a secret that “our military
advisers and trainers are in the immediate vicinity of the event. Our
experts are involved in operations in three areas: strategic,
tactical and informational. They are in contact with their Russian
counterparts. Through the efforts of our countries (Russia, Iran,
Syria, Iraq) the Information Centre for the fight against terrorists
and Daesh was established.”
“In
addition, our experts are working closely with the Syrian army, the
soldiers of the Lebanese ‘Hezbollah’ in the conduct of the fight
against terrorists. Therefore, any exchange of intelligence between
our military agencies, and ways to monitor traffic of trucks with
contraband oil, heading in the direction of Turkey, is gathered in
photographs and videos.”
Aghahi
said that if Turkish President Erdogan continues to deny this fact,
“they will provide more irrefutable hard evidence such as photos,
GPS navigation of the oil convoys and videos.”
The
expert also pointed out that the most striking proof of Turkey's
cooperation with Daesh is the destruction of the Russian Su-24
military aircraft by a Turkish fighter, in Syria, not in Turkey. So
the materials that prove Turkey's cooperation with Daesh are a matter
of honor for Iran and Russia.
“It
is time for Erdogan to stop his attacks, renounce his ambitions and
resign. Especially because today even Western leaders condemn the
actions of Erdogan and publicly declare that there are direct oil
deals between Turkey and Daesh. In particularly, this was said by the
US finance minister,” Afghahi said.
“Germany
also condemned the actions of Ankara. The immensely ambitious policy
of President Erdogan fundamentally damaged relations with many
countries. Ankara’s actions ranging from the downed Russian plane,
disrespectful remarks against the Iranian authorities, and the
illegal invasion by Turkish tanks in the territory of another state –
Iraq, all point to the fact that Erdogan is trying to ignite flames
of new war in the already unstable region,” Afghahi concluded.
Is
Deployment of Turkish Troops to Iraq an 'Action Agreed With
Washington'?
7
December, 2015
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said that the deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq occurred without the consent of Iraqi leadership and violates the sovereignty of the country. According to military expert Vladimir Bogatyrev, the move was coordinated with the US and is a “provocation”.
On
Friday, media reported that up to 150 Turkish soldiers had
entered northern Iraq's Nineveh province. On Monday, their
number reached 900 servicemen, the province's Governor Nawfal Akub
told Sputnik.
The
move was allegedly aimed to provide training to Kurdish
Peshmerga fighters. However, the Iraqi authorities stated that the
deployment of Turkish forces took place without official
consent and constitutes a violation of the country’s
sovereignty.
Prime
Minister Haider al-Abadi stressed that Iraq has the right to take
any possible action, including an appeal to the UN Security
Council, if the Turkish troops didn’t leave the country within 48
hours.
According
to Russian military expert Major-General Vladimir Bogatyrev,
Turkey’s actions are a provocation, coordinated with the US
government.
"We
have entered an entirely new phase of the fight against Daesh
when all countries — NATO countries, primarily the United
States and their closest aide and accomplice in the region,
Turkey, the main interest of which is the liquidation of Assad’s
regime — are attempting to implement their own interests.
Therefore, it is, definitely, the Turkish provocation. And,
of course, it was coordinated with the United States,”
Vladimir Bogatyrev stated in an exclusive interview with Radio
Sputnik.
According
to him, Turkey in this case, is dependent on Washington
and is acting according to its orders. It will try to avoid
direct conflict with Baghdad, but at the same time use any
opportunity to have their troops in place.
Previously,
referring to the US military, Reuters reported that the
deployment of the Turkish military in Iraq was agreed
with the US-led anti-terrorist international coalition, but is
not a part of it.
Bogatyrev
believes that the United States is again acting in line with its
standard policy.
"But
when the Americans acted in a different way? They make people
bump their heads and stage slaughters, sitting at the other side
of the ocean and having only two land borders – with Canada
and Mexico, where Chuck Norris alone is able to resolve all
America’s problems," the military expert stated.
About
half of Islamic State’s revenues come from 'taxes' extracted from
the population and businesses on its territories with illegal oil
sales the second most profitable activity, a new report suggests.
The
analysis was conducted by IHS Conflict Monitor - a monthly survey of
IHS Aerospace, Defense and Security on Iraq and Syria – and
maintains that Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has established
an economic model that enables the group to finance its activities
using the “inner” resources of the territories under its control.
Perhaps
unexpectedly, the illegal oil trade is not the number one income
industry for the terrorists. While oil contributes about 43 percent
of revenues, taxation brings in as much as 50 percent of all income
Turkey Refuses to Withdraw Its Troops From Northern Iraq Despite Ultimatum
In
the face of fierce protests from the Iraqi government and the
international community, Turkey is refusing to withdraw troops from
northern Iraq.
Things
must be going well in the "war on terror," as the US Air
Force just admitted that it is fast running out of bombs to drop on
ISIS after "B-1s have dropped bombs in record numbers." As
ZeeNews reports, Air Force chief of staff General Mark Welsh said as
America ramps up its military campaign against the Islamist terror
group, the Air Force is now "expending munitions faster than we
can replenish them."
The
US Air Force is fast running out of bombs to drop on ISIS targets in
Syria and Iraq after its pilots fired off over 20,000 missiles and
bombs since the US bombing campaign against the terror group began 15
months ago, its chief has said.
Russian
warplanes traced and targeted a long convoy of ISIL's oil tankers
near the Syrian border with Turkey, sources said on Saturday.
A
170-tanker column of ISIL came under the massive strike of the
Russian bombers as they were approaching the border with Turkey,
sources said.
"All
the tankers were destroyed in the Russian warplanes' airstrike,"
the sources added, and continued, "Scores of ISIL terrorists
accompanying the convoy were also killed or wounded in the air
attack."
Reports
said earlier today that Turkey has refused US demands to stop oil
smuggling and close the part of the border with Syria which is
controlled by ISIL militants.
Ankara
said that it is impossible to close the border and ISIL (Daesh)
terrorists may boost their forces in response, according to the
Hurriyet Daily News.
Ankara
launched a new round of negotiations with the Franco-Italian concern
Eurosam to install anti-missile systems on the border with Syria due
to the worsening situation, a Turkish newspaper reported.
The
Turkish authorities in connection with the deteriorating situation on
the border with Syria have decided to install anti-aircraft missiles
(SAMs) on the border. This decision has launched a new round of
negotiations with the Franco-Italian concern Eurosam, newspaper Aksam
reported on Monday.
Foreign investors flee from Turkey
The
Turkish lira is facing its biggest annual fall since 2008 and is
nearing new record-lows, as foreign investment continues to leave the
country.
Investors
from abroad have withdrawn $7.6 billion in assets this year,
according to Bloomberg. This includes $1.4 billion in November, the
month President Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (JDP)
managed to win back the majority.
At
first, market reaction was positive to Erdogan’s party win, but the
escalation of tension with Moscow over the downed Russian warplane in
Syria has shaken investors' nerves. Russia responded with measures
intended to hit the Turkish economy where it hurts most, its tourism
industry and exports to Russia.
The
@Telegraph poll shows 87% believe #Assad is
the only credible option
in #Syria http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/12036184/Lets-deal-with-the-Devil-we-should-work-with-Vladimir-Putin-and-Bashar-al-Assad-in-Syria.html
An
unedited update from a contact living in Aleppo city:~
“It
all started around 11:15 am with an earthquake, which was caused by a
“rebel” tunnel explosion close to the Gas Factory in Khaldiyyé
area. All buildings were shaking from it. Then all types of clashes,
missiles, rockets, mortars, and shooting with big machine guns were
heard in the background.
Then
the jets started bombarding their areas. Then the sirens were heard.
According
to news, SAA and allies captured 4 villages in southern Aleppo
province, and captured a large number of terrorists from different
nationalities.....
Turkish
Sultan Moves to Annex Iraq's Mosul
Fast
developing story. Is Erdogan's real agenda coming to light? Ottoman
Empire anyone?
The
wannabe Sultan Erdogan did not get his will in Syria where he had
planned to capture and annex Aleppo. The Russians prevented that. He
now goes for his secondary target, Mosul in
Iraq, which many Turks see as historic part of their country:
At the end of World War I in October 1918, after the signature of the Armistice of Mudros, British forces occupied Mosul. After the war, the city and the surrounding area became part of the Occupied Enemy Territory Administration (1918-1920), and shortly Mandatory Iraq (1920-1932). This mandate was contested by Turkey which continued to claim the area based on the fact that it was under Ottoman control during the signature of the Armistice. In the Treaty of Lausanne, the dispute over Mosul was left for future resolution by the League of Nations. Iraq's possession of Mosul was confirmed by the League of Nations brokered agreement between Turkey and Great Britain in 1926. Former Ottoman Mosul Vilayet eventually became Nineveh Province of Iraq, but Mosul remained the provincial capital.
Mosul,
Iraq's second biggest city with about a million inhabitants, is
currently occupied by the Islamic State.
On
Friday a column of some 1,200 Turkish soldiers with some 20 tanks and
heavy artillery moved into a camp near Mosul. The camp was one of
four small training areas where Turkey was training Kurds and some
Sunni-Arab Iraqis to fight the Islamic State. The small camps in the
northern Kurdish area have
been there since
the 1990s. They were first established to fight the PKK. Later their
Turkish presence was justified as ceasefire monitors after an
agreement ended the inner Kurdish war between the KDP forces loyal to
the Barzani clan and the PUK forces of the Talabani clan. The bases
were actually used to monitor movement of the PKK forces which fight
for Kurdish independence in Turkey.
The
base near Mosul is new and it was claimed to be just a small weapons
training base. But tanks and artillery have a very different quality
than some basic AK-47 training. Turkey says it will increase
the numbers in these camps to over 2000 soldiers.
Should
Mosul be cleared of the Islamic State the Turkish heavy weapons will
make it possible for Turkey to claim the city unless the Iraqi
government will use all its power to fight that claim. Should the
city stay in the hands of the Islamic State Turkey will make a deal
with it and act as its protector. It will benefit from the oil around
Mosul which will be transferred through north Iraq to Turkey and from
there sold on the world markets. In
short: This is an effort to seize Iraq's northern oil fields.
That
is the plan but it is a risky one. Turkey did not ask for permission
to invade Iraq and did not inform the Iraqi government.
Turkey will have a permanent military base in the Bashiqa region of Mosul as the Turkish forces in the region training the Peshmerga forces have been reinforced, Hürriyet reported.
The deal regarding the base was signed between Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani and Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu, during the latter’s visit to northern Iraq on Nov. 4.
There
are two problems with this. First: Massoud Barzani is no longer
president of the KRG. His mandate ran out and the parliament refused
to prolong it. Second: Mosul and its Bashiqa area are not part of the
KRG. Barzani making a deal about it is like him making a deal
about Paris.
The
Iraqi government and all major Iraqi parties see the Turkish invasion
as a hostile
act against
their country. Abadi demanded the immediate
withdrawal of
the Turkish forces but it is unlikely that Turkey will act on that.
Some Iraqi politicians have called for the immediate dispatch of the
Iraqi air force to bomb the Turks near Mosul. That would probably the
best solution right now but the U.S. installed Premier Abadi is too
timid to go for such strikes. The thinking in Baghdad is that Turkey
can be kicked out after the Islamic State is defeated. But this
thinking gives Turkey only more reason to keep the Islamic State
alive and use it for its own purpose. The cancer should be routed now
as it is still small.
Barzani's
Kurdistan is so broke that
is has even confiscated foreign bank accounts to pay some bills. That
may be the reason why Barzani agreed to the deal now. But the roots
run deeper. Barzani is illegally selling
oil that
belongs to the Iraqi government to Turkey. The Barzani family
occupies not only the presidential office in the KRG but also
the prime minister position and the local secret services. It is
running the oil business and gets a big share of everything else. On
the Turkish side the oil deal is handled within the family of
President Erdogan. His son in law, now energy minister, had the
exclusive right to transport the Kurdish oil through Turkey.
Erdogan's son controls the shipping company that transports the oil
over sea to the customer, most often Israel. The oil under the
control of the Islamic State in Iraq passes the exactly same route.
These are businesses that generate hundreds of millions per year.
It
is unlikely that U.S., if it is not behind Turkey's new escapade,
will do anything about it. The best Iraq could do now is to ask the
Russians for their active military support. The Turks insisted on
their sovereignty when they ambushed a Russian jet that brushed its
border but had no intend of harming Turkey. Iraq should likewise
insist on its sovereignty, ask Russia for help and immediately kick
the Turks out. The longer it waits the bigger the risk that Turkey
will eventually own Mosul.
An Official of US-backed Syrian ‘Moderates’ Calls for ‘Exterminating’ Shiites
by Eric Zuesse
Yemen’s
independent Al
Masdar News headlines
on Monday December 7th, “U.S.
Backed Syrian Opposition Official Calls for the Extermination of
Alawites,”
and Leith Fadel reports that:
“A
prominent official from the U.S. backed Syrian Opposition has called
for the extermination of Alawite [Syrian Shiite] Muslim villages
after a series of defeats at the hands of the religiously diverse
“Syrian Arab Army” (SAA) in the month of November. …
‘Abdullah
Al-‘Ali – a former Aleppo-based attorney who has since moved to
Turkey, where he works alongside the President of the Syrian National
Council, Khaled Khoja, … advises followers and friends in the Free
Syrian Army (FSA) to carry out deliberate sectarian attacks against
Syria’s large Alawite Muslim population, which is also contrary to
the message the Syrian National Council has attempted to spread to
the western world about its secular nature.
“Exterminating
Nusayri (derogatory term that is directed towards Alawites) villages
is more important than liberating the Syrian capital,” says
Abdullah Al-‘Ali. … Al-‘Ali’s sectarian post seems to be
tolerated by his counterparts in the Syrian National Council as
several members liked his message.”
Al
Masdar News had
previously been in the news itself during the 2011 Arab Spring
demonstrations in Yemen against the Shiite President Ali Abdullah
Saleh, when the
newspaper’s photographer was killed by Saleh’s troops.
The newspaper is strictly nonpartisan and opposed to all
sectarianism.
A
sectarian, pro-Sunni, newspaper owned by Sunni Qatar, Al-Araby
Al-Jadeed,
bannered on December 2nd, “Syrian
activists: Destroying Assad means destroying Islamic State group,”
and reported that, “Many Syrian activists are frustrated by the UK
debate on bombing the Islamic State group in Syria and feel that the
cause of the problem, Assad, is being ignored completely.” Qatar’s
royal family, the Thanis, have been major donors to jihadist groups,
all of which are Sunni. The newspaper quoted a Sunni group saying
that the West needs to concentrate upon destroying “the roots of
the problem that allows IS to flourish: Assad and his atrocities.”
On
November 18th,
a U.S. Defense Department press briefing in Baghdad proudly announced
the first U.S. bombing of ISIS oil tank trucks carrying Iraqi and
Syrian oil stolen by ISIS, for sale in other countries, and
announced:
“This
is our first strike against tanker trucks, and to minimize risks to
civilians, we conducted a leaflet drop prior to the strike. … It
says, ‘Get out of your trucks now, and run away from them. …
Warning: airstrikes are coming. Oil trucks will be destroyed. Get
away from your oil trucks immediately. Do not risk your life.'”
Russia
had already bombed, during the prior month and a half, thousands of
such ISIS black-market oil trucks, and didn’t warn the people who
were driving them.
ISIS
is one of the many Sunni jihadist groups that are fighting in Syria
to oust from power the secular Shiite Bashar al-Assad.
On
November 24th, Michael Morell, Obama’s CIA Director during
2011-2013, explained on the PBS Charlie Rose show, “We didn’t go
after oil wells, actually hitting oil wells that ISIS controls,
because we didn’t want to do environmental damage, and we
didn’t want to destroy that infrastructure.”
By
contrast, the
U.S. bombings in Syria have been directed against Syria’s
infrastructure, including power stations that are in the territory
still held by Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
No one who was bombed in those anti-Shiite attacks was warned in
advance.
Shiites
in Iraq are considering
whether Iraq should kick the U.S. out because the U.S. is supporting
Sunni jihadists, such as ISIS.
Turkish troops remain in Iraq despite the warning
Турция не выведет военных из Ирака, несмотря на требования Багдада |
Ankara
has not withdrawn, from Iraq, its military forces, despite the
demands of Baghdad, Interfax reported with reference to the
representative of the Turkish government.
Earlier,
Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi, had asked Ankara to
withdraw its troops from Iraqi territory and gave them 48 hours.
Otherwise, he would go to the UN security Council.
According
to media reports on December 5th, 150 to 300 Turkish military
personnel invaded Iraq under the pretext of training fighters of
the Iraqi Kurds, fighting on the side of the banned in Russia group
ISIL. The Federal government of Iraq's permission was not obtained.
RUSSIAN NAVAL INFANTRY PREPARES ASSAULT ON PALMIRA
More
than 60 Russian Naval Infantrymen had arrived in the Homs Province.
Their task is consulting with and training of Syrian troops in order
to organize the assault on the ancient city of Palmira.
Prior
to the arrival of the Russian Naval Infantry, Islamic State attacked
the villages of Al-Bayarat and Al-Dawa. The Syrian Arab Army (SAA)
was able to repel the attack and hold its positions.
After
the arrival of the Russian Naval Infantrymen, the 67th Brigade of the
18th Tank Division as well as the National Defense Force fighters
from Homs launched a counterattack under the command of Russian
military advisors and recaptured the village of Al-Bayarat. Daesh
militants were forced to retreat.
Pro-government
forces, local militias, and Hezbollah fighters, in conjunction with
Syrian and Russian aviation, are preparing to launch a large-scale
operations to expel the radical Islamists from Palmira. On Saturday,
December 5, heavy fighting resumed between the SAA and the terrorists
West of Palmira. Daesh fighters were reported to have suffered heavy
loses.
In
the coming days, reports from the Middle East claim, Russia is
contemplating almost doubling in the near term the number of its
planes committed to the fight in Syria—from 35 to more than 50.
Thereafter, Moscow could increase the number to 100. To accommodate
them, it will be expanding a small presence at al-Sharyat air base
near Homs, which features fortified hangars capable of withstanding
direct shelling, where Russian attack helicopters are already based.
Russia
will deploy “an intelligence and special forces brigade and support
personnel, estimated to be about 1,000 troops in total” to
al-Sharyat, which will be its second major airbase in Syria, reports
the Times of London, citing local sources. Russia is also reportedly
planning on deploying to the theater thermobaric rockets, which are
fuel-air explosive weapons designed for high-temperature explosions
and more devastating blast waves.
Further
reports suggest Moscow is insisting that its Iranian and Hezbollah
allies commit to an offensive against the ISIS-held towns of
Qaryatayn and Palmyra, both of which are located near the airbase.
Yesterday, the White House confirmed that Russia had slightly ramped
up its efforts against the Islamic State in recent weeks.
And
finally, there are rumors that Moscow is reaching out to the Syrian
Kurds. The Turkish press is full of (shakily-sourced) reports that
Russians are starting to provide air support to the PYD (whether de
facto due to overlapping interests, or through outright
coordination). According to al-Jazeera, Putin has called on the PYD
to accept a settlement with Assad. While none of these reports should
be taken as gospel, we do know that the PYD has previously sent a
delegation to Moscow to try to open diplomatic relations. That some
kind of negotiations are ongoing is not unlikely.
So
what is going here? Vladmir Putin’s bid to keep his client, Assad,
alive and gain a place at the negotiating tables as the future of
Syria is working out pretty well, so it looks like he may be doubling
down. Putin is a consummate opportunist. He may be trying to reach an
accommodation with the Kurds that would accept Assad’s control over
the part of Syria that Russia cares about—and tick off the Turks,
to boot. He may also be considering boosting Russian commitment to
fighting ISIS directly, rather than focusing exclusively on the
rebels fighting Syrian government troops loyal to President Bashar
al-Assad.
It
looks like Putin’s doubling down on three fronts: militarily, by
increasing his presence in Syria; politically, by increasing his
potential leverage with regard to the final settlement of Syria; and
on the broader international stage, by positioning himself as a
greater part of the anti-ISIS fight that matters to much of the West.
Russia
has started to deliver the powerful Almaz-Antey S-300
integrated air defense system to Iran, according to a top Kremlin
official. The Iranians are receiving an upgraded version of the
weapon called the S-300PMU-2
Favorit.
“The
contract is in action. They’ve begun,” Vladimir Kozhin, a Russian
presidential aide for military-technical cooperation told the TASS
news agency.
Kozhin’s
statement confirms an earlier report in which Iranian ambassador to
Russia Mehdi Sanai said Tehran had received its first S-300
batteries. The S-300PMU-2 Favorit has a range of more than 120 miles
and can hit targets as high as 100,000ft. The system can engage
half-a-dozen or more targets simultaneously. Either version of the
weapon is extremely capable and could render entire swaths of Iran
nearly invulnerable to attack via conventional strike aircraft.
US Air Strikes against ISIS are Killing Children rather than Terrorists
Report
says the U.S. tried to cover up the killings of six children and
other civilians as monitor group says airstrikes have killed 250
civilians so far. The United States military has been accused of the
killing of six children and three more civilians in Syria as part of
an airstrike the U.S. air force had carried out back in August in the
north city of Atmeh, an exclusive report by the Middle East Eye
website said Thursday.
The
accusation was made by the father of the six children, Muawiyya
al-Amouri, who told the Middle East Eye that the U.S. government was
trying to cover up the deaths of his family members as well as
refugees who were staying at his home at the time. “A plane
belonging to the alliance shelled my house with six missiles. They
destroyed my house and my children died. I had some refugees in my
home from Ariha [near Idlib city] who died as well,” Amouri said.
The
alleged 'Turkmen' militia are not who they appear to be
Following
the shoot-down of a Russian fighter jet over north Latakia the
Turkish President Erdogan insisted that there were no terrorists in
the area the Russians were bombing but only “Turkmen”. Today a
Russian air attack in the area hit major “Turkmen” fighting
positions but the death notices that follow do not fit Erdogan's
“Turkmen” claims:
Dismissing
Russian claims that the Russian plane had been on an anti-terror
mission against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadists
in northern Syria, Erdoğan said, “No one should ever fool
themselves: There are no Daesh [ISIL] elements in the Bayırbucak
region where Turkmen live.”
Erdoğan
also attacked those who criticized his government’s ostensible aid
to the Turkmens.
“You
know the famous MİT truck betrayal which took place right after the
Dec.17-25 coup attempt, don’t you? There are some who still make
their headlines for their newspapers without any shame. Those trucks
were trucks taking aid to our Bayırbucak Turkmens. Some are saying,
‘Prime Minister Erdoğan was saying that there were no weapons
inside those [trucks].’ What if there were, what if there weren’t?
What are we saying: ‘We are taking humanitarian assistance there.’
Who are they? They are our mistreated and oppressed Bayırbucak
Turkmen siblings. That’s what we did,” Erdoğan said late Nov.
24.
So
there are just Turkmen, says Erdogan. And he finally admits that he
sent them weapons.
But
the “Turkmen” Erdogan speaks of are not the 100,000 or so ethnic
Turkmen who for hundreds of years have lived in the area. The
“Turkmen” who killed the parachuting Russian pilot was a Turkish
radical nationalist who belongs to the fascist Grey Wolf
organization.
At
a Credit Suisse conference in West Palm Beach this week,
representatives from major defense contractors spoke to their
investors about how well business was going in these times of global
war. Representatives from top firms like Raytheon, Oshkosh, and
Lockheed Martin were in attendance, in somewhat of a celebration of
the escalating conflict in the middle east and Africa.
Lockheed
Martin Executive Vice President Bruce Tanner gave a speech openly
praising the “indirect” benefits that defense contractors would
see as a result of the war in Syria. A portion of his speech was
captured on audio by someone inside and shared widely on the internet
hours after the conference.
In
the audio that was captured, Tanner discussed the many recent
troubles in the Middle East, with an escalation of conflict in Syria
and Turkey. He pointed out how these conflicts would lead to
increased sales for their company.
Tanner
said that the increased conflict would cause “an intangible lift
because of the dynamics of that environment and our products in
theater.”
According
to the Intercept, during another speech at the conference, Wilson
Jones, the president of the defense manufacturer Oshkosh, said that
“with the ISIS threat growing, there are more countries interested
in buying Oshkosh-made M-ATV armored vehicles.”
Raytheon
Chief Executive Tom Kennedy also joined in the informal celebration,
saying that his company was seeing “a significant uptick for
defense solutions across the board in multiple countries in the
Middle East.”
“It’s
all the turmoil they have going on, whether the turmoil’s occurring
in Yemen, whether it’s with the Houthis, whether it’s occurring
in Syria or Iraq, with ISIS,” Kennedy added.
In
addition to the growing wars, the contractors also celebrated the
fact that the defense sector was recently granted a $607 billion
budget by the government.
“Our
programs are well supported [in the budget]. We think we did fare
very well,” Tanner concluded.
A
recent report by journalist Glenn Greenwald pointed out stock prices
for weapons manufacturers sharply increased just after the terrorist
attacks in Paris last month. Greenwald was following the tip of
Brooklyn journalist Aaron Cantú, who posted screenshots for the
recent stock performances of major weapons contractors on his Twitter
page
Defense industry stocks this morning following Friday night's attacks in Paris:
Howdy Friend. Your poop is OUTSTANDING and I display it every day on my main blog. You will, no doubt, do something on Chinese pollution. Yikers. http://neer-do-well-hall-of-infamey.blogspot.ca/2015/12/china-pollution-first-ever-red-alert-in.html
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