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Istanbul police fire tear gas on protesters rallying over crackdown in Kurdish areas
Protesters
run as riot police disperse them during a protest in Istanbul,
Turkey, December 20, 2015. © Osman Orsal / Reuters
Turkish
police have fired tear gas on several hundred protesters in Taksim
Square in Istanbul, Reuters reports.
The
protesters gathered to demonstrate against security operations and
curfews in the southeast, where more than 100 have been killed this
week.
The
offensive in the largely Kurdish region began last week in an effort
to “cleanse” the
area of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) “militants.”
In
Istanbul, riot police chased protesters and pushed shoppers and
tourists out of the way. Shops closed their shutters and at least two
protesters have been detained.
#İstiklalCaddesi, caddede bulunanlar polisin biber gazlı müdahalesinden etkilendi. @yarinhaber @ulas_ulascan @fkbc_
On
Thursday, Erdogan stated the PKK fighters would be "annihilated."
The
army claims more than 100 suspected militants have been killed over
six days, with two soldiers and five civilians also said to have been
killed.
The
operation largely targeted Diyarbakir, Sirnak and Mardin provinces.
The Turkish army also conducted air strikes on suspected PKK sites in
northern Iraq on Friday.
Police
also fired water cannon and tear gas at thousands of people
protesting against the offensive in Diyarbakir on Friday.
The
military said the operations will continue “until
public security is established.”
From Turkish Hurriyet Daily News
From Turkish Hurriyet Daily News
Turkey to move troops from Mosul after Obama’s appeal
Turkey
has announced its decision to continue to remove its troops from the
Bashiqa camp near Mosul after nearly 10 days of tension with the
Iraqi government and upon insistent appeals from Washington, which
included a phone call from U.S. President Barack Obama to his Turkish
counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
“Turkey,
in recognition of the Iraqi concerns and in accordance with the
requirements of the fight against Daesh, is continuing to move
military forces from Nineveh province, which were the source of the
miscommunication,” a Foreign Ministry statement read late Dec. 19.
Daesh is the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant (ISIL).
Some
110 militants have been killed during operations against the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the southeastern provinces of
Şırnak, Diyarbakır and Mardin, state-run Anadolu Agency has
claimed.
One
soldier who was wounded in clashes in Şırnak’s Cizre district
died on Dec. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces said in a written
statement. Another soldier was killed during clashes in the Sur
district of Diyarbakır on Dec. 19.
Gendarmerie
soldier Yaşar Yeniören was killed in Sur on Dec. 19 during clashes
with what government says are members of the PKK. He will be laid to
rest in Istanbul on Dec. 20.
Some
78 militants were killed in Cizre during the first four days of
operations amid an ongoing siege, Anadolu agency reported on Dec. 19,
citing military sources.
Security
forces killed six militants in the Silopi district of Şırnak, while
16 others were killed in Sur. Ten militants were also killed in the
Dargeçit district of Mardin province, according to the agency.
Meanwhile,
Turkish Armed Forces said in its statement that 18 militants were
killed on Dec. 19 during operations in Cizre, Silopi and Sur.
Some
23 security forces, including police officers, were wounded in
Diyarbakır and Şırnak operations.
Two
senior officials from YDG-H, youth wing of outlawed PKK militant
group, were also killed during the operations in Cizre.
A
curfew was imposed on Cizre and Silopi on Dec. 14.
Some
10,000 troops backed by tanks have been deployed in the southeast to
try to rout young PKK supporters from urban areas.
The
operation, which has targeted Cizre, Silopi and Sur, began on Dec.
16, according to the army.
On
Dec. 18, the military also carried out air strikes on PKK “hideouts”
and “weapons sites” across the border in northern Iraq, where the
outlawed group has its rear bases.
Erdogan
says Kurdish militants will be 'annihilated'
Erdogan
vows to crush Kurdish "self-rule" movement
20
December, 2015
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Kurdish militants Dec. 15 that
“you will be annihilated,” and pledged that Turkish security
forces will continue their massive military assault on Kurdish towns
in southeastern Turkey until they are “completely cleansed and a
peaceful atmosphere established."
Metin
Gurcan reports that the escalation in military operations in towns
where Kurdish militants associated with the Kurdistan Workers Party
(PKK) have taken hold has increased the possibility of a civil war.
“At
the moment, the Turkish army is moving tanks and armored vehicles to
lay siege to those towns,” Gurcan writes. “Checkpoints have
already been established at the towns' entrances. In many towns,
particularly in Cizre, Silopi and Nusaybin, education has been halted
with an extremely unusual move by the Ministry of Education, which
sent text messages to about 3,000 public teachers instructing them to
return to their hometowns for "on-the-job training." Since
nobody believes such training would be done in the middle of the
school year by closing schools, it is seen as a sign of approaching
battles, further panicking the population. Now, teachers and other
civil servants are rapidly evacuating these towns. Those who couldn’t
find buses to get out were seen walking and hitchhiking.”
Amberin
Zaman reports on the trend of increased radicalization of the PKK,
including the rise of an armed youth movement loyal to imprisoned PKK
leader Abdullah Ocalan.
“In
a clutch of towns and cities across Turkey’s mainly Kurdish
southeast, armed youngsters loyal to Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned
PKK leader, and calling themselves the Patriotic Revolutionary Youth
Movement (YDG-H), have seized control of entire streets and
neighborhoods, erecting barriers and declaring autonomy,” Zaman
reports. “The spirit of rebellion has permeated Sur, where pro-PKK
slogans and posters of the mustachioed Ocalan cover bullet-riddled
walls. Several young fighters interviewed by Al-Monitor all said that
they would end their revolt only if ordered to do so by Ocalan. But
since April 6, the Turkish authorities have not allowed any of his
regular visitors, including the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP)
lawmakers who used to carry messages from him, to meet with Ocalan in
his island prison. The resulting vacuum has been filled by Cemil
Bayik, the hard-line PKK commander who says he supports the YDG-H’s
moves.”
Turkish
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned the HDP on Dec. 17 about
“playing with fire” by exploiting the clashes. Figen Yuksekdag of
the HDP said that 200,000 people have been displaced as a result of
the fighting.
Mahmut
Bozarslan, reporting from Diyarbakir, writes that the region “has
been in chaos for weeks. Urban unrest across the mainly Kurdish
southeast has simmered since August, when PKK-linked groups moved to
take control of certain residential areas and declared what they call
“self-rule.” The authorities responded with security crackdowns.
To stop the security forces from entering the neighborhoods, the
Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement (YDG-H), the PKK’s urban
youth branch, dug trenches and erected barricades. The curfews
followed, and young people armed with light weapons clashed with the
police.”
Bozarslan
continues, “The brief lifting of the curfew revealed scenes out of
a war zone. Though the number of fleeing people was smaller, many
compared the exodus with last year’s Kurdish flight from the Syrian
city of Kobani to Turkey, sparked by the Islamic State’s offensive.
Some residents claimed police had urged them to evacuate their homes
as soon as possible. This reporter had to pass three police
checkpoints to reach the inner part of the district, where
bullet-riddled buildings, craters opened by explosions and toppled
electric poles stood as grim testaments to the clashes. The
oft-photographed house that has become the symbol of the unrest was
immediately recognizable. Its walls were partially demolished and not
a single square meter of its facade seemed to have escaped the
bullets. In the adjacent house, an elderly woman was packing up.
Pointing to the big hole in the building’s wall, she wept, 'Why has
this befallen us? What did we do?'”
Kadri
Gursel concludes that Turkey’s crackdown on the PKK has opened
Ankara up to pressure from Russia. Turkey’s "cold war"
with Russia allows Moscow to “increase military and political
pressure on Ankara to deter it from backing jihadis,” Gursel
explains. “It remains to be seen how long Ankara will be able to
sustain the cold war with Russia and the heated conflict with the PKK
without letting its two adversaries link up.”
Syria
resolutions should test Saudi coalition
The
UN Security Council passed two resolutions last week that link a
cease-fire and political transition in Syria to increased
international efforts to defeat al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra and
the Islamic State (IS).
Resolution
2253, passed unanimously on Dec. 17, builds upon all previous UN
Security Council resolutions to direct member states to increase
cooperation to prevent any form of support, trade or financing for
Jabhat al-Nusra, IS and associated terrorist groups and entities.
Resolution 2254, which passed unanimously the next day, gives the
International Syria Support Group (ISSG) a Security Council mandate
to implement a cease-fire and political transition talks as outlined
in the recent Vienna meetings. The process envisions a six-month
timeline to establish a transitional government, according to the
2012 Geneva Communique, with talks to commence in January, followed
by 18 months to hold elections and enact a new constitution.
With
regard to the increased focus on counterterrorism, Resolution 2254
calls on “Member States to prevent and suppress terrorist acts
committed specifically by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL,
also known as Da’esh), Al-Nusra Front (ANF), and all other
individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities associated with Al
Qaeda or ISIL, and other terrorist groups, as designated by the
Security Council, and as may further be agreed by the ISSG and
determined by the Security Council, pursuant to the Statement of the
ISSG of 14 November 2015, and to eradicate the safe haven they have
established over significant parts of Syria, and notes that the
aforementioned ceasefire will not apply to offensive or defensive
actions against these individuals, groups, undertakings and entities,
as set forth in the 14 November 2015 ISSG Statement.”
The
emphasis on counterterrorism in both resolutions could mean that
Turkey will face even more pressure to crack down on the cross-border
traffic by terrorist groups operating in Syria.
The
UN resolutions should also help clarify the announcement last week by
Saudi Arabia Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of a new
Saudi-led 34-member “Islamic” alliance to battle terrorism. Saudi
Arabia’s assertive leadership in the battle against terrorism is a
welcome and noteworthy development. But the announcement of the
coalition has been received with uncertainty about the kingdom’s
intent and objectives. We will not here recount the many press
reports of how some of the members of the coalition seemed to know
little about it; that all of its members are Sunni states; and that
Iran and Iraq are notable omissions. Nor is it worth reminding
readers that Saudi Arabia has been contributing close to nothing to
the US-led air campaign against IS, as Bruce Riedel wrote last month
for Al-Monitor.
With
the passage of resolutions 2253 and 2254, there is no ambiguity about
the expected collective steps needed to defeat IS and Jabhat
al-Nusra. As a member in good standing of both the United Nations and
ISSG, Saudi Arabia could quickly reveal the sincere intent of its
coalition by having the first items on its agenda being
implementation of these resolutions. There may be more that Saudi
Arabia can do over time, but enforcement of well-detailed and
documented Security Council resolutions would be a good place to
start, and a welcome contribution to the fight against terrorism.
Zarif
sets "red line" on terrorist groups in Syria
Iranian
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, in an interview with
Al-Monitor, said that Iran has “set a red line that Daesh [IS],
Jabhat al-Nusra and other al-Qaeda affiliates would not be recognized
as legitimate oppositions. So whoever is not among them and whoever
is prepared to sit down and seek a political solution, if they meet
the criteria, then that's the criteria. Unfortunately, people are
trying to avoid that criteria from being set.”
Zarif
lamented the political gamesmanship around designation of terrorist
groups in Syria, including reports that members of ISSG had requested
that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah be included
on the list of terrorist groups being compiled by Jordan.
“One
or two [countries] actually tried to use this as a political ploy to
score, in my view, rather childish political scores. And while there
is unanimity on a number of organizations, like Daesh [IS] and
[Jabhat al-] Nusra, and a very large majority, including certain
organizations like Ahrar al-Sham, which were unfortunately invited to
the meeting in Saudi Arabia as terrorist organizations. There were
one or two that just put certain names in there, and that list has
been officially withdrawn now. So there is no list with organizations
or entities that are actually in Syria under request of the Syrian
government fighting Daesh [IS] and terrorist groups that is around.
It is a very sad situation where people, instead of focusing their
attention on known terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda, Daesh [IS]
and Jabhat al-Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham, and Jaish al-Islam —
organizations which everybody considers to be extremist terrorist
organizations — are trying to use them as leverage or play games or
try to bargain.”
Has
Netanyahu closed the Iran file?
Mazal
Mualem speculates that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
uncharacteristically low-key response to the report by the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ending the investigation
into the previous military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear program may
reflect a shifting of priorities. “It is quite possible that
Netanyahu is waiting for another opportunity to bring up the IAEA,
but it is more likely that he has simply gotten everything he can out
of the Iranian issue,” Mualem writes. “He recognizes that Iran is
no longer on the international community’s agenda, that the nuclear
deal is already part of US President Barack Obama’s legacy and that
a unilateral attack by Israel is no longer a viable option.
In
addition, Netanyahu has in the meantime succeeded in creating new,
alternative threats to Israel’s security, the foremost being the
Islamic State. He assumes the tangible threat of terrorism nearby
will cause Israelis to forget about Iran, and of course, he is right.
The Iran file has been closed. No one in Israel seems interested in
it anymore.”
Maltese
ships owned by Turkish president’s son being implicated in ISIS oil
trade
13
December, 2015
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.
Most smuggled ISIS oil goes to Turkey, sold at low prices – Norwegian report
People
talk as they stand next to oil barrels at a makeshift oil refinery
site in al-Mansoura village in Raqqa's countryside © Hamid Khatib /
Reuters
A
newly-leaked report on illegal oil sales by Islamic State (IS,
previously ISIS/ISIL), which was ordered to be compiled by Norway,
has revealed that most of the IS-smuggled oil has been destined for
Turkey, where it is sold off at bargain low prices.
“Large
amounts of oil have been smuggled across the border to Turkey from
IS-controlled areas in Syria and Iraq,”Klassekampen
cited the report as saying.
“[The]
oil is sent by tankers via smuggling routes across the border [and]
is sold at greatly reduced prices, from $25 to $45 a barrel.”
The
crude is reportedly sold on the black market at greatly reduced
prices, while the Brent benchmark is currently trading at $35-$50 per
barrel.
To
compile the report, which is dated from July, Rystad Energy used its
own database as well as sources in the region.
“Exports
happen in a well-established black market via Turkey,” the
report concluded. “Many
of the smugglers and corrupt border guards, who helped Saddam Hussein
avoid international sanctions, are now helping IS export oil and
import csh.”
In
the beginning of December, the Russian Defense Ministry released
evidence which it said shows most of the illegal oil trade by IS
going to Turkey.
“Today,
we are presenting only some of the facts that confirm that a whole
team of bandits and Turkish elites stealing oil from their neighbors
is operating in the region,” Antonov
said, adding that this oil “in
large quantities” enters the territory of Turkey via “live oil
pipelines,” consisting
of thousands of oil trucks.
The
data directly implicated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in
the oil trade with IS. “According
to our data, the top political leadership of the country –
President Erdogan and his family – is involved in this criminal
business.”
Ankara
has denied the allegations. Erdogan said that nobody had a right
to “slander” Turkey
by accusing it of buying oil from Islamic State. Erdogan even claimed
that he will resign if such accusations were proven to be true.
Moreover, the US has defended Turkey, denying any ties between Ankara
and IS.
Last
October, US Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence
David Cohen said IS was earning $1 million a day from oil
sales. “According
to our information, as of last month, ISIL was selling oil at
substantially discounted prices to a variety of middlemen, including
some from Turkey, who then transported the oil to be resold. It also
appears that some of the oil emanating from territory where ISIL
operates has been sold to Kurds in Iraq, and then resold into
Turkey,” he
said.
According
to Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the middlemen in Turkey
are not only entrepreneurs, but also Ankara officials. Turkey is
protecting IS because of “direct
financial interest of some Turkish officials relating to the supply
of oil products refined by plants controlled by ISIS.”
These
revelations come as the UN Security Council has passed a resolution
strengthening legal measures against those doing business with
terrorist groups.
It stems from a UNSC action taken in February
against illegal trafficking of antiquities from Syria, which
threatened sanctions on anyone buying oil from IS or the
Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front and urged that no ransoms be paid to
terrorists.
Turkey sucks full stop!! Their brutal treatment of the Kurds; their training and being the main gateway and getaway for ISIS terrorists and their selling of industrial scale stolen ISIS oil should make them enemy number one!
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