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Turkey call Brits who join Kurd YPG, ‘spies, crusaders & terrorists,

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jimathertonBritish citizens who have volunteered to fight Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) alongside Kurdish militias are merely “crusaders” who will be treated as terrorists and killed if necessary, Turkish government officials have warned.

Yunus Akbaba, a spokesman for the Turkish PM Binali Yildirim, said the same applied to Westerners from other nations, including Turkey’s NATO allies.

“These are terrorist groups and anyone fighting under their banner will be considered terrorists,” he said of the YPG, which is a proscribed group in Turkey.

“It is the responsibility of the countries where they come from to prevent them from joining these groups. Turkish forces will confront them if they are fighting under the banner of terrorist groups, regardless of whether they are members of allied countries,” he told Middle East Eye on Thursday.

There are thought to be six Britons who have traveled to the region independently to fight IS alongside the Kurds, together with a greater number of Americans and other westerners.

One British volunteer, known by the nom de guerre Macer Gifford, was quick to argue the UK citizens embedded with the militias are far from terrorists.

“Many are former servicemen that have distinguished themselves in Iraq and Afghanistan. Others are leftist and humanitarians. We aren’t terrorists by any definition of the word,” he told the Telegraph.

https://youtu.be/Y65NEUQ1xQg

“If one of them were to be killed by Turkey then you would see a lot of public anger.”

An official for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) said any suggestions that Westerners fighting with the Kurds are there to form a democratic mini-nation are “nonsense.”

“It is difficult to see what else could motivate them. They are under this illusion that they will help create this secular pro-Western Kurdish statelet [sic] in the heart of Islamic lands,” Yasin Aktay told the Middle East Eye.

“These people are either motivated by a crusader mentality or are Western intelligence agents aiming to further the PYD/YPG project. All this talk of them being there to face the Daesh [IS] threat is nonsense.

 source: https://www.rt.com/uk/358012-turkey-british-fighters-terrorists/

Terrorist State of Turkey targets Kurdish forces south of Syria’s Jarablus

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Erdogan depoticOne soldier killed in rocket attack on Turkish tanks amid clashes between Turkey-backed Syria rebels and Kurdish YPG.

Turkish jets and artillery have targeted Kurdish forces south of the strategic town of Jarablus, according to a monitor and local sources, as Turkey continues a major military offensive inside northern Syria. 

Turkey first sent tanks across the border on Wednesday as part of a two-pronged operation against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters, as well as Kurdish-led forces.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday’s air strikes and shelling hit the village of Amarneh, which was captured recently by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). 

The strikes came as Turkish-backed Syrian rebels clashed with Kurdish fighters on the ground. 

The Jarablus Military Council, which is allied with the SDF, said the air strikes in Amarneh marked an “unprecedented and dangerous escalation” after Turkish artillery shelling targeted Kurdish YPG forces, the backbone of the SDF alliance, on Friday.

The council said there were injuries, without giving any further details, but warned that the escalation threatened to “endanger the future of the region” and vowed to stand its ground.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg, an analyst based in the nearby Kurdish-controlled city of Qamishli, told Al Jazeera that the clashes had increased throughout Saturday.

“There have been reports that SDF fighters have blown up a Turkish tank. The fighting is ongoing,” he said.

Later on Saturday, one Turkish soldier and three others were wounded in a rocket attack on a Turkish tank south of Jarablus late on Saturday, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency, in the military’s first fatality since the launch of its offensive to partly help Syria rebels capture Jarablus from ISIL, also known as ISIS.

Turkish military sources said the rocket was fired from territory held by the Kurdish YPG.

Earlier on Saturday, the Northern Sun Battalion, an SDF faction, had said in a statement that it was heading to “Jarablus fronts” to help the council against “threats made by factions belonging to Turkey”.

Kurdish freedom Fighters PKK Attacked and killed 5 Turkish Soldiers

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PKK kill turksFive soldiers were killed in separate attacks by  Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır and the eastern province of Bingöl on Aug. 24.

One specialized soldier was killed when a bomb hidden by PKK exploded in the Karlıova district of Bingöl.

Security forces were carrying out an operation against the PKK when a home-made explosive device detonated, leaving Kerim Üye dead.

The operation has been going on for two days in the area with aerial support.

Separately, four soldiers were killed and eight others were wounded in an attack by PKK in the Lice district of Diyarbakır.

PKK  staged an attack on a military base in the district with long-barreled weapons and rocket launchers.

The wounded soldiers were taken to Diyarbakır Military Hospital.

Reinforcements were sent to the area and an operation with aerial support was launched.

Earlier, two village guards were killed in clashes withPKK late on Aug. 23. İdris Demir was killed in sniper fire and Tarık Aydemir was heavily wounded.

Aydemir was taken to Bingöl State Hospital, but succumbed to his wounds.

Additionally, two soldiers were wounded in a road-side bomb attack by PKK near the southern resort city of Antalya on Aug. 24.

The PKK detonated the bomb when a Turkish military vehicle was passing by, leaving a sergeant and a specialized sergeant wounded. İbrahim Dağ and Bayram Tokay were taken to hospital, while the police blocked the road after the explosion.

An operation with aerial support was launched to apprehend the militants involved in the attack.

Meanwhile, a three-day curfew has been imposed in the Yüksekova district of the southeastern Hakkari province early on Aug. 24, after PKK launched a rocket attack in the district.

“In order to prevent the terror attacks and carry out operations against the militants a three-day curfew will be in force starting from 6 a.m. on Aug. 24. Entrances and exits to Yüksekova are forbidden,” the statement released from the Hakkari Governor’s Office read, adding the decision “aims to protect the life and property of the residents in the district.”

Elsewhere, one child was killed and another was wounded when an object they found on the street exploded in the Nusaybin district of the southeastern Mardin province on Aug. 23. Two sisters aged eight and 10 were playing in the street when the object they found exploded.

The two children were taken to Nusaybin State Hospital, but one of them succumbed to her wounds.

An investigation was launched into the incident.

Terrorist State of Turkey’s Syria offensive backed by the US aimed at Kurdish YPG

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ypgTurkish forces have crossed into Syria in an attempt to wrestle control of Jarablus from “Islamic State” fighters and thereby prevent Syrian-Kurdish forces from taking the city. Tom Stevenson reports from Istanbul.

For the first time since the start of the Syrian civil war, Turkish forces backed by the United States have crossed the Syrian border and openly intervened against “Islamic State” (IS) forces.

In the early hours of Wednesday, Turkey began conducting heavy artillery strikes – including Howitzer strikes – on the IS-controlled city of Jarablus, which lies on the Turkey-Syria border on the banks of the Euphrates river.

Turkish F-16 aircraft then conducted airstrikes on IS positions in Jarablus as Turkish special forces made for the city. German-built Leopard tanks operated by the Turkish army have followed in their wake with a force of 1,500 Turkish-backed Syrian fighters. The United States has confirmed that it will provide air cover for the Turkish forces.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey has launched the operation “against terrorist groups that constantly threaten our country,” referring to both the Islamic State and Syrian-Kurdish YPG forces whom Ankara views as terrorists.

Before the operation, Syrian-Kurdish YPG forces linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) were advancing on Jarablus following their military victory over IS in Manbij.

Turkish pretext?

Syrian Kurdish forces say the operation, which Turkish forces have code-named “Euphrates Shield,” is motivated more by a desire to stop their advance against IS than by anti-IS sentiment.

During the operation, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned Kurdish forces to keep away from Jarablus. “If YPG doesn’t retreat back to the east of the Euphrates, Turkey will do what is necessary,” Cavusoglu said.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have accused Turkish military intelligence of assassinating the Kurdish forces commander in Jarablus, Abdulsettar Al-Cadiri, just prior to the operations.

The head of the Syrian-Kurdish forces, Salih Muslim, claimed before the operation that Turkey was backing Jihadists in Syria. “Turkey is also trying to activate terrorist groups like al Qaeda in Syria, which are celebrating the beheading of children in Aleppo,” Muslim said.

According to a Western intelligence analyst working on Syria in Gaziantep, there are questions as to the make-up of the 1,500 strong Turkish-backed force.

“There’s some evidence the forces are comprised of Ahrar al-Sham fighters but there has been talk recently of a potential merger between Ahrar al-Sham, Nur ad-Deen az-Zinki, and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham [formerly known as the al Qaeda linked Jabhat al-Nusra – the ed.],” the analyst told DW on condition of anonymity.

Fighters from Liwa Suqour al-Jebal (Falcons of the Mountain Brigade), a US-backed Syrian militia, are also believed to be among the Turkish-backed forces.

Turkey’s change in strategy

Turkey’s intervention underlines a shift in how the Turkish government sees the Syrian civil war, says Selim Sazak, a foreign policy analyst at The Century Foundation.

“Turkey’s original doctrine, under former Prime Minister Davutoglu, was to push for regime change in Syria,” Sazak told DW. “Turkey then found itself facing the possibility of a PKK safe haven in Northern Syria and now Ankara seems to have shifted from total regime change to active denial geared toward containing the YPG and thwarting a PKK safe haven in Northern Syria.”

Sazak points out that for the last year Turkey has been facing IS attacks and a PKK insurgency inside its own borders.

“Turkey simply took the fight to them now that it has replaced the pro-regime change Davutoglu with the more pragmatic-minded Prime Minister [Binali] Yildirim, mended fences with Russia, and seems to have lost all hope in the US keeping the YPG on a short leash.”

Turkish terrorist ISIS “Daesh” Militants Flee Liberated Manbij to Seek Bloody Revenge on Kurds in Turkey

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Gaziantep-attackDaesh militants who fled Manbij after its liberation last week, were able to enter Turkey and strengthen the terrorist presence in the province of Gaziantep, Turkish MP Mahmut Togrul told Sputnik.

On Saturday 54 people were killed and more than 100 injured after a suicide bombing at a Kurdish wedding party in Turkey’s southeastern city of Gaziantep. The Turkish government has said that the attack was carried out by a Daesh terrorist.

Local politicians told Sputnik Türkiye that several terror cells are operating in Gaziantep, where the local people now fear another attack. 

Mahmut Togrul, a Turkish MP who represents Gaziantep on behalf of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, linked the attack to the recent liberation of Manbij in northern Syria from Daesh.

Last week the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces drove out Daesh from Manbij after more than two months of fierce fighting. Daesh fighters were pictured escaping from Manbij towards the Turkish border, taking human shields with them.

“The date of this attack was no coincidence. This explosion is the terrorists’ revenge for the liberation of Manbij. This action was planned and targeted. It is significant that everybody who died in the explosion were Kurds, related to our party one way or another. This act of terrorism should be considered an attack on the Kurdish population,” Togrul said.

Togrul said that his party has made repeated calls for tighter control of Turkey’s border with Syria, but that the appropriate measures have not been taken.

“The region between Azaz and Jarabulus (in northern Syria) is the gate through which Daesh jihadists travel. Closing the border there would mean closing the airspace for Daesh completely.”

“According to our information, a lot of Daesh militants entered Turkish territory after the liberation of Manbij, and they have mixed in with the local population,” Togrul said.

On Monday the Turkish military began shelling Daesh positions in northern Syria close to Jarablus, as well as shelling positions of the Kurdish YPG. Turkey said the shelling of Daesh-controlled areas was in response to mortar fire from Jarablus, which landed in the town of Karkamis in Gaziantep Province.

Akif Ekici, a Turkish MP who represents Gaziantep on behalf of the Kemalist Republican People’s Party, told Sputnik that, “Unfortunately, the attack in Gaziantep is the result of the Turkish leadership’s Syrian policy.”

“The country should pursue a policy based on the principle of ‘peace at home, peace in the world,'” Ekici said.

Turkey’s bluff of recalling and shamefully sending back its embassadors

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turkey-recall-embassIn the latest row, Turkey has recalled its ambassador to Austria amid a growing spat between the two countries. According to a Deutsche Welle report, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Austria at a press conference of being a center of racism and Islamophobia that supports Kurdish terrorist groups, adding Turkey would “review its relations” with Austria. “Unfortunately, the foundation for our bilateral relations and cooperation to continue as normal has disappeared,” Cavusoglu said.

August 23, 2016

PanARMENIAN.Net – It’s not for the first time when Turkey recalls its ambassadors over various reasons, the main of them, of course, being the Armenian Genocide.

In June 2016, Turkey recalled its ambassador from Berlin after German MPs approved a motion describing the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces a century ago as Genocide – a decision that the Turkish president said would “seriously affect” relations between the two countries. The five-page paper, co-written by parliamentarians from the Christian Democrats, Social Democrats and Green party, calls for a “commemoration of the genocide of Armenian and other Christian minorities in the years 1915 and 1916”. It passed with support from all the parties in parliament. In a show of hands, there was one abstention and one vote against.

In May 2016, Turkey recalled its ambassador to Bangladesh for consultations after strongly protesting the execution in the country of a top Islamist leader. Motiur Rahman Nizami, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami, was hanged at a Dhaka jail for the massacre of intellectuals during the 1971 independence war with Pakistan.

In June 2015, Turkey it recalled its ambassador to Brazil, after the country’s Senate passed legislation recognizing the massacre of Armenians during World War One in as Genocide. “We view the decision by the Brazilian Senate that distorts reality and overlooks the law as irresponsible and we condemn it,” the foreign ministry said, so characteristic of it.

In April 2015, Turkey recalled its envoy to Vatican after Pope Francis called the slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks “the first genocide of the 20th century” and urged the international community to recognize it as such. “The pope’s statement, which is far from historic and legal truths, is unacceptable,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted at the time.

Also in April 2015, Turkey recalled its ambassador to Austria after parties represented in parliament signed a declaration recognizing the massacre of Armenians a century ago as Genocide. “The declaration by the Austrian parliament permanently scarred the friendship and relations between Turkey and Austria,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement to announce the recall of ambassador Hasan Gogus “for consultations.”

In August 2013, Turkey recalled its ambassador to Egypt after Turkish criticism of Cairo’s crackdown on supporters of former President Mohammed Morsi.

In December 2011, Turkey recalled its ambassador to France in retaliation over a vote in French Parliament making it a crime to deny the WWI-era mass killings of Armenians amounts to Genocide. It also banned the French navy from using its territorial waters and restricted French military jets using its airspace. The French Foreign Ministry asked Turkey not to overact when the French Senate approved the bill, which, however, was later blocked by the Constitutional Court.

In April 2011, Turkish Foreign Ministry decided to recall its ambassador to Syria. Violent measures by Syrian security forces against anti-government demonstrators were cited as the reason for the move.

In December 2010, Turkey recalled its envoy to Turkmenistan, who was revealed by WikiLeaks to have reportedly served as a source to the U.S. embassy about concerns of uranium transfer to Iran, appears to have been recalled to Ankara. Another ambassador was appointed instead.

In March 2010, Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Washington after a U.S. congressional committee narrowly approved a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The House Foreign Affairs Committee endorsed it, despite the objections of the White House.

Also in March 2010, Turkey recalled its ambassador to Sweden for consultations following the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Swedish Parliament. According to Ankara, the vote was “based upon major errors and without foundation,” then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan canceled his visit to Stockholm.

In April 2009, Turkey recalled its ambassador to Canada for consultation after the country’s Prime Minister spoke at a vigil to commemorate the Armenian Genocide.

Lusine Mkrtumova / PanARMENIAN.Net

Turkey: kurdish freedom fighters PKK killed Turkish soldier, injured three policmen

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pkk-clashesOne Turkish soldier has been killed and three police officers injured in clashes with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in southeastern Turkey.

According to Turkish security sources, the casualties occurred early on Monday when clashes erupted between Turkey’s army and the PKK near security outposts in the town of Nazimiye in Tunceli province, 500 kilometers (310 miles) northeast of the province of Gaziantep.

A female PKK militant was also killed during the skirmishes.

Sources further noted that the incident prompted Turkish authorities to impose a round-the-clock curfew on Nazimiye and order security forces, backed by attack helicopters, to seal the area and send in reinforcements.

The development comes at a time when Turkey is still reeling from the Saturday deadly bomb blast that targeted a wedding ceremony, killing more than 50 people in the city of Gaziantep.

That attack was described as the deadliest in a series of bombings in Turkey this year blamed on the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group and the outlawed PKK militant group that has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region in the country’s southeast since 1984.

Turkey-PKK clashes

Ankara has been engaged in a large-scale anti-PKK campaign in its southern border region over the past few months. The Turkish military has also been pounding the group’s positions in northern Iraq as well in breach of the Arab country’s sovereignty.

Turkey’s operations began in the wake of a deadly July 2015 bombing in Suruc, which the Turkish government blamed on the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

After the bombing, the PKK , who accuse Ankara of supporting Daesh, engaged in a series of reprisal attacks against Turkish police and security forces, prompting Turkey’s military operations.

A shaky ceasefire between Ankara and the PKK that had stood since 2013 was declared null and void by the militants following the Turkish strikes against the group.

More than 600 Turkish security forces and over 7,000 PKK militants have been killed since the collapse of the truce, according to the latest toll provided by the state-run Anadolu news agency in July.

source: http://presstv.com/Detail/2016/08/22/481187/Turkey-PKK-Nazimiye-Gaziantep-

Turkey: Kurd in Gaziantep mourners slam Turkish govt. for failure to protect citizens

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gaziantep-weddingA funeral procession for victims of a bomb attack in Turkey’s Gaziantep has turned into an anti-government demonstration, with participants slamming Turkish government for failure to protect security of citizens.

Hundreds of angry mourners chanting “Murderer Erdogan” gathered for the funeral of 12 of the victims of the bombing that killed over 50 people in a wedding ceremony in Gaziantep late on Saturday.

The terrorist attack was carried out when the assailant detonated explosives among the crowd. The huge explosion also inflicted injuries to more than 90 people, including the bride and groom.

“The explosion was the result of a … bomber aged between 12 and 14 who either detonated (the bomb) or others detonated it,” President Erdogan said at a press conference in Istanbul on Sunday, adding that 69 of the wounded remained in hospital.

Bombings increased especially after July 2015, when Ankara launched a campaign against militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the southeastern border areas. The Turkish military has also been conducting offensives against the positions of the group in northern Iraq.

Turkey reEstablishing Relation with Israel hoping “Intelligence cooperation” on Kurds that U.S did not provide

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turkey-isral relationRecently, a draft agreement on normalization between Turkey and Israel was submitted to the Turkish parliament. It is expected to be approved in the coming days.

According to the document, within 25 days, compensation to the tune of $20 million will be paid to the families and relatives of those killed on the Mavi Marmara ship during a conflict on May 31, 2010.

This move will relieve the legal and criminal responsibility from the Israeli troops involved in the operation. The Mavi Marmara case will be closed.

In an interview with Sputnik, Turkish political analyst Ozlem Tur said Ankara wants to normalize ties with Israel in a bid to break the regional isolation of Turkey.

“Why did Turkey come up with such an agreement? I think the reason is the situation in the region. Turkey is seeking ways to break the isolation provoked by its foreign policy. This agreement is very important for Ankara,” she said.

Moreover, the Turkish government believes that Israel is interested in cooperation with Turkey, especially in energy.

At the same time, for a long time the Israeli government insisted it had no need for cooperation with Turkey since it had “alternative options.”

However, after Ankara sent a clear signal of normalization, Israel accepted the offer, partially because of the need to find new partners in the region.

“Ties between Turkey and Israel will be based on mutual benefits, with respect to the interest of each country. And only time will tell how far this cooperation could go. What is also important, it will depend on the situation in Syria because Turkey-Israel normalization is part of the regional security,” the analyst pointed out.

Another key factor in the process is the Kurdish problem. Turkey is likely to ask Israel for help, including sharing intelligence data.

“I think the initial impulse for normalization was not energy but the security situation in the Middle East,” she added.

“Intelligence cooperation is very important for Turkey’s policy towards Kurds. Tel-Aviv’s assistance is of strategic importance for Ankara. Turkey wants the assistance it hasn’t receive from the United States, from Israel. Cooperation with Israel will help Turkey prevent undesired scenarios in the Kurdish problem,” she said.

Normalization with Israel is geo-strategically important for Turkey despite criticism from the Arab world because cooperation with Tel-Aviv would help resolve such priority issues as the Syrian crisis and the Kurdish problem, the analyst concluded.

Source: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160819/1044444137/turkey-israel-normalization.html