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Israeli
defense minister says ISIS funded with ‘Turkish money’
RT,
26
January, 2016
Israel’s
defense minister has alleged that the Islamic State terror group has
long been funded with “Turkish money.”
"As
you know, Daesh (Islamic State, previously ISIS/ISIL) enjoyed Turkish
money for oil for a very, very long period of time. I hope that it
will be ended," Moshe
Yaalon told reporters in Athens on Tuesday after meeting his Greek
counterpart, Panos Kammenos, Reuters reports.
"It's
up to Turkey, the Turkish government, the Turkish leadership, to
decide whether they want to be part of any kind of cooperation to
fight terrorism. This is not the case so far," he
said.
Yaalon’s
counterpart, Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, made similar
statements, saying that a large part of the Islamic State’s oil
trade, as well as the financing of terror, is going through Turkey.
Earlier,
Russia had accused Turkey of shady dealings with ISIS. In December,
the Russian Defense Ministry released maps and satellite images it
said proved that Turkey was the main consumer of oil smuggled out of
Syria and Iraq by the terrorists. The ministry also claimed that the
Turkish president and his family were involved in the criminal
dealings.
Iran
has also said it was in possession of photographic and video evidence
of ISIS oil entering Turkey in trucks.
In
December, Syria’s envoy to the UN Bashar al-Ja’afari also accused
Turkey of supporting terrorist groups. The diplomatappealed to
the UN, urging it to end Ankara’s "violations and crimes."
Turkey
has denied the accusations, while the United States last month
rejected Russia’s claims that the Turkish leadership was linked to
ISIS oil smuggling.
Israeli
Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon © Adnan Abidi / Reuters
Turkey
has "permitted
jihadists to move from Europe to Syria and Iraq and back, as part of
Daesh's terrorist network, and I hope this will stop, too," Yaalon
added, according to a transcript of the Israeli minister’s comments
provided by the Greek Defense Ministry.
Another
force fighting against IS, an Iraqi Shia militia, has also alleged
that the terrorists are freely crossing back and forth across the
Turkish border, with Ankara providing militants with logistical
support. Citing evidence gathered from prisoners and on the
battlefield, a military spokesman for the Popular Front’s Badr
Organization said the data they've gathered directly implicates
Turkey's involvement with Islamic State.
The
comments from Turkey’s neighboring countries come as Ankara and Tel
Aviv are trying to mend ties and negotiate gas imports. Senior
Israeli and Turkish officials met in December to continue
negotiations on the exportation of Israeli natural gas to Turkey.
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