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ISIL Captive Reveals Turkey’s Role in Training Terrorists “mainly Turkmen and Chechens”

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13941005000656_PhotoITEHRAN (FNA)- A member of the ISIL terrorist group who has been held captivate by the Kurdish forces in Syria disclosed shocking realities of Turkey’s efforts to train terrorists.

“We were trained in Turkey since the ISIL leaders thought that it is a safe place because training forces in Syria, given the airstrikes, was difficult,” Abdolrahman Abdolhadi said.

Referring to the media reports that the ISIL terrorists have been trained in the FSA’s camps, he said, “All our trainers were ISIL members who had come to Turkey to find a job, but they immediately joined the ISIL.”

Abdolhadi said that he was tasked with helping the ISIL members to come to Syria and receive training in Turkey, adding that the ISIL elements were sent to Sanliurfa in Turkey and then to Raqqa in Syria to then join ISIL cells in different parts of the Arab country.

Also in November, another terrorist confessed to a Turkish newspaper that the weapons come from Turkey to Syria and that the training courses are held Turkey’s soil.

In a report published on Yurt Newspaper, terrorist “M T” said that the materials which are stolen by the terrorists are being smuggled mostly to Turkey, adding that the terrorists were cultivating and trafficking drugs in their camps before removing their activities into areas which are under their control in Syria.

The terrorist, who was a member of one of the “Turkmen Brigades”, said that the weapons are being smuggled to the terrorists in Syria in various ways, sometimes in ambulances, adding that he himself examined an ambulance which was loaded with weapons, rockets and explosives, adding that all of them were US made.

He added that Turkey had set camps for those terrorists before the events of Jisr al-Shoughour even took place, adding that the majority of the trainees were of non-Syrian nationalities, mainly Turkmen and Chechens.

He said that “Haytham Tubali” is a dangerous gunman with connections to the Turkish government, adding that he is bringing terrorists from all the world’s corners to the Syrian-Turkish lands.

“He can bring you a tank to the Syrian-Turkish lands, with its key in it”, he said.

Not Bush League: Turkey Is an ‘ISIL Superhighway’ for Fighters, Financing

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1031269474Turkey is a Daesh “superhighway” because of its status as a source of fighters and financing for the terrorist group, according to researcher Max Abrahms.

Turkey has become a superhighway for the Daesh terrorist group, Max Abrahms, a political science researcher and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, told Radio Sputnik.

“I sometimes call Turkey an Islamic State Superhighway because such a large portion of foreign jihadis have gotten in through there. When we’re talking about smuggling, porous borders and how it facilitates Islamic State, what we’re really talking about is primarily that Turkish border,” Abrahms told Sputnik.

Abrahms added that despite diplomatic pressure, issues with Turkey are not likely to smooth over. According to Blumenthal, the conflict with Turkey will only grow because of its sponsorship of rebel group and simultaneous action against Syrian Kurds, who are the primary fighters against Daesh in that part of Syria.

“In a way this is more dangerous than Islamic State, because these groups that are only slightly more moderate than Islamic State are actually attracting state backing from countries like Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia,” Abrahms added.

According to Abrahms, there is also no “silver bullet” for defeating Daesh, as cutting off the group’s external financial backing would only lead it to rely on internal sources of revenue.

Source: sputniknews.com

Report Two Turkish soldiers killed in ISIL Sunni forces camp bombing in Bashiqa region

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The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) carried out an attack against a Sunni military camp in the Bashiqa region of northern Iraq, killing two and injuring six, Iraqi Kurdish news website Rudaw has reported.

Four Turkish soldiers were slighlty injured as they responded to the attack, Turkey’s state-run TRT-TÜRK reported.

Turkey has provided training for Sunni Iraqi personnel in recent years

A number of Turkish troops stationed at Bashiqa Camp near Mosul on Dec. 14 were transferred to a region under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq.

The decision came after the international community put pressure on Ankara over Baghdad’s reaction to the deployment of Turkish soldiers to the camp, though Turkey continues to keep some of its troops stationed inside.

ISIL leader’s ex-wife released in prisoner swap, wants to go to Turkey

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ISIS leader wifeAl-Qaeda’s Syrian wing, the Nusra Front, released 16 Lebanese soldiers and policemen held captive since August, 2014 on Tuesday in a Qatari-mediated deal that also secured freedom for a jailed ex-wife of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The Nusra Front seized the Lebanese during an attack on the border town of Arsal mounted together with ISIL which is still believed to be holding nine soldiers captured in the incursion.

Families of soldiers and policemen who were kidnapped by militants from ISIL and the Nusra Front cheer after following news that they were being released, in front of tents set up for a protest in downtown Beirut on Dec. 1. (Photo: AP)

Live TV footage from the border area between Lebanon and Syria showed the Lebanese captives in vehicles accompanied by masked men armed with assault rifles and waving the Nusra Front flag before they were released to the Red Cross.

Thirteen Islamists in Lebanese jails, including Saja al-Dulaimi, the ex-wife of Baghdadi, were also released. Dulaimi, fully veiled, was shown in live TV footage from the area with her three children who were with her in prison.

Nusra Front fighters were shown kissing and hugging the sons of Dulaimi, who was arrested by the Lebanese authorities a year ago. Speaking to Al Jazeera, she said her wish was to return to Beirut and then to leave to Turkey.

“We accomplished the entire agreement with Nusra. We received our heroic soldiers and we are on our way back to Beirut,” top Lebanese security official Abbas Ibrahim, who oversaw the swap, told Reuters by telephone.

“This joy not complete until the return of those kidnapped by Daesh. We are ready to negotiate with Daesh if we find someone to negotiate with,” he said. Daesh is an Arabic name for ISIL.

The Nusra Front fighters chanted “God is great” as they arrived with the captives in preparation for the swap. One of the captives, interviewed by Al Jazeera, said the group had treated them well.

Nusra has killed four of the captives.

“Praise be to God. The joy cannot be described,” another of the captives told Al Jazeera.

The exchange began with the Nusra Front releasing the body of one of the Lebanese soldiers it had killed in captivity, Mohamed Hamieh.

Qatar has been involved in efforts to mediate the release of the captives for a year or more. A previous effort to secure their release broke down a year ago after one of the captives was killed.

Morocco arrests two Turkish ISIL Terrorist suspects,

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n_91821_1Moroccan police have arrested three people on suspicion of hacking telecommunications equipment, including two Turkish nationals who are suspected of having ties to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Reuters has reported, amid fresh police raids targeting ISIL suspects in Turkey.

Authorities in Morocco said in a statement on Nov. 27 that they uncovered a series of terrorist cells used by ISIL in recent months, including three since the Nov. 13 Paris attacks. The latest group of terrorist cells had been active in the eastern city of Oujda, they added.

“The two Turkish nationals were involved in hacking telephone communications of a Moroccan operator, using developed technical equipment,” the statement said.

The investigation showed that the two Turks were ISIL supporters, with one of them having stayed in a camp in Syria’s Hama province, where he was trained in handling weapons and took part in battles against the Syrian army, it added.

The statement said the two Turks had contacts with operational leaders of ISIL as they were seeking logistical support, adding that the two were the latest foreign nationals, including Europeans Morocco arrested on terrorism charges.

Iraqi Politician Claims Turkey Lets ISIL Sell Oil for Meager $20 a Barrel

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1029487593Turkey allows the Islamic State terrorist group to sell Iraqi and Syrian oil for just $20 a barrel, Iraq’s former National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie wrote on Saturday.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page al-Rubaie, who is also a leader of the Law-Governed State  parliamentary coalition, outlined Ankara’s four-pronged support for the Islamic militants, with the illegal oil trade topping the list.

“First and foremost, the Turks help the militants sell stolen Iraqi and Syrian oil for $20 a barrel, which is half the market price,” Mowaffak al-Rubaie  wrote.

Turkey in general, and Istanbul in particular, is also a place where ISIL commanders recruit local migrants and take them to Mosul in Iraq or Raqqa in Syria, he noted.

“Each month hundreds of radicals cross the Turkish border, while the local law enforcers pretend they just don’t see,” Mowaffak al-Rubaie wrote, adding that many wounded ISIL fighters were apparently undergoing treatment in Turkish hospitals.

During a joint news conference with French President Francois Hollande in Moscow earlier this week, President Vladimir Putin mentioned the massive supplies of Syrian oil being sent to Turkey by the Islamic State terrorist group.

French Journalist Says Forget ISIL, Turkey is New ‘Islamic Caliphate’

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1023065888Europe needs to take a tougher stance towards Turkey, as Ankara encourages the rise of Islamic extremism, which it uses to consolidate its own political influence in the Middle East, French journalist Pascal Celerier wrote for Boulevard Voltaire.

Turkey’s support of ISIL, the downing of the Russian Su-24 bomber and the interruption of a moment of silence dedicated to the victims of the Paris terrorist attacks with boos and yells of “Allahu Akbar” at a stadium in Turkey shows that the Islamic side of Turkey is strong and present, and the country isn’t on the same page with the EU when it comes to issues of Islamic fundamentalism, the author said.

Turkey is dreaming of becoming a great power once again. The country is essentially “an Islamic caliphate” which is currently in the process of trying to re-establish the Ottoman Empire, Celerier argued.

The world might soon witness a confrontation between Ankara and Tehran, as the two cities would compete with each other to become a leader of a new empire in the Middle East, the French journalist said.

There would be a rise of new, more politically and economically powerful “Islamic caliphates” in the future. Turkey will be one of them, the author said.

The French government needs to understand that ISIL is simply a tool in the grand scheme of geopolitics. ISIL isn’t a “third Reich” and it would be defeated soon; however a victory over ISIL would only be a part of a bigger problem that France and the EU have in front of them — the rise of global Islamic fundamentalism in its aggressive and expansionist form, Celerier said.

The development of Islamic banks, media, educational programs and charities all of which support fundamentalist Islamic teachings around the world is the real risk that Europe is facing. Meanwhile ISIL is simply an artificially created organization to conceal and distract the attention of the West from a real threat that has been quickly rising behind the scenes, Celerier argued.

Turkey Raising Black Flag of ISIL by Shooting Down Russian Plane

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1025583106French international relations expert Jean-Vincent Brisset and parliamentary deputy Gilbert Collard told Sputnik that the downing of the Russian warplane while fighting ISIL terrorists is an indicator about the priorities of the Turkish government, which has shown little support for fighting terrorism in neighboring Syria.

Shooting down a Russian airplane in Syria was an act of support for the Islamic State terrorists being targeted by Russian airstrikes, Gilbert Collard, deputy for France’s Front National party, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

“I consider the fact that a Russian plane was hit, while fighting the Islamic State is a recognition of the state Turkey is now in,” said Collard.

“Turkey destroyed people and a plane that were fighting the Islamic State. In doing so, it chose its side, and that is the side of terrorists.”

“Turkey can call for an extraordinary meeting, but that doesn’t change the fact that in the fight against terrorists, you have to pick your allies. Unfortunately, Turkey has not done that.”

Jean-Vincent Brisset, international relations expert from the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS), said that the reaction of Turkey is now critical.

“I don’t think that Russian planes violated Turkish airspace. Now it is becoming clear, who is supporting who (in this war). It wasn’t completely apparent until this event,” said Brisset, who added that Turkey’s position in the fight against terrorism is becoming more and more contentious in the West.

“The Turks have been more aggressive to the Kurds than to the Islamic State. Now, when everybody is talking about forming coalitions and talking about cooperation, it is necessary to define a common enemy.”

“I think that the Russians have conducted themselves well enough to avoid serious confrontation. The time has come to the put cards on the table: either we are with the Russians and the other members of the coalition fighting the Islamic State, or its foul play.” 

“I suggest that now Erdogan is obliged to either openly support the Islamic State, or proclaim neutrality and not take any more actions against those who are fighting the Islamic State.”

On Tuesday, a Russian Su-24 fighter jet was shot down by Turkish forces while in Syrian airspace. It was tasked with carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State targets and had never entered Turkish airspace before it was downed. 

According to reports, the two pilots inside the Su-24 were able to eject from the plane before it crashed, though it is currently unknown where they landed.

Maya Arakon: Turkey cannot condemn terror attacks beyond its borders while feeding ISIL internally

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Maya Arakon (Photo: Today's Zaman, Mehmet Yaman)

Maya Arakon (Photo: Today’s Zaman, Mehmet Yaman)

Yes, there is support for ISIL in Turkey but there are expectations from the West from Turkey, too, right?

Turkish leaders cannot condemn terror attacks outside the country while feeding ISIL militants internally. Turkey has made a mistake — thinking that the world does not see this hypocrisy is foolish. Turkey will have to choose its line regarding ISIL internally and externally. However, we have not seen such a will in that direction. Turkish leaders do not even refer to ISIL as ISIL, as the world does, but uses other words to refer to ISIL, including Daesh [the arabic acronym for ISIL] and the DH. Psychologists can explain this better but using different names to refer to the same thing is usually done to complicate and confuse. We lost young people in the Suruç and Ankara attacks and Turkish officials called it a “cocktail attack” committed by ISIL and the PKK. I’ve been studying terrorsim for 20 years and I have not heard such a term as “cocktail terrorism.” Turkey’s first priority should have been a fight against ISIL and not a fight against the PKK because apparently ISIL is more dangerous than the PKK and most certainly poses imminent danger.

With renewed commitment to act against ISIL alongside the United States, do you think Turkey can still insist on acting against the pro-Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD)?

It still does. In domestic politics, this is the card played out all the time but we will see how much Turkey can be insistent on this line. In the international arena, coming against the PYD is laughable as it is the PYD that is the main fighting force against ISIL in Syria.

source: Zaman

ISIL Militant Admits to Buying Arms in Ukraine, Sending to Syria Via Turkey

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1030444279Kuwaiti security forces have uncovered an international cell that supplied the Islamic State terrorist group with Chinese-made weapons purchased in Ukraine, funds and new recruits, US media reported on Friday.

Six members of the group were arrested but four others are still at large, AP reported, citing Interior Ministry officials in Kuwait City.

The leader of the group, 45-year-old Lebanese national Osama Khayat, was detained first and disclosed information about the rest of the members during interrogation, the ministry said in a statement.

According to the information provided by Khayat, the cell was involved in making arms deals on behalf of the Islamic State leaders in Syria, including buying FN-6 portable air defense systems and other weaponry, which were shipped to ISIL in Syria through Turkey.

During questioning, Khayat also admitted to transferring money to Turkish bank accounts as well as spreading ISIL propaganda online to get new recruits.

Besides the Lebanese mastermind, Kuwaiti authorities arrested three Syrians, an Egyptian and a Kuwaiti and said four others — two Syrians and two Australians of Lebanese origin — were outside the country.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry denied that it had sold Chinese-made FN6 portable air defense systems to the Islamic State.

“We cannot sell or resell or make any deals concerning weapons. We are not a business entity and we do not have such weapons,” spokeswoman Viktoria Kushnir told RIA Novosti.