Turkey, Riyadh, and Qatar ‘Responsible for Downing Russian Helicopter in Syria’

August 1, 2016 By administrator

A Russian Mi-8 helicopter was shot down in northwestern Syria on Monday killing all five Russian servicemen on board. In an interview with Sputnik, Dr. Marcus Papadopoulos, Editor of Politics First Magazine, put the blame on an alliance of terrorist groups called the Army of Conquest and its suppliers.

“I have no doubt about that. They have in their possession advanced weapons. We are talking about tanks, other armored vehicles, antitank weapons and antiaircraft missiles. The question is who has supplied them with these antiaircraft missiles?” he continued, adding that they could have apparently been supplied by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar.”

“Therefore, they are responsible for the downing of Russia’s Mi-8 helicopter, which was on a humanitarian mission in Syria, and for the death of all five Russian servicemen on board,” Marcus Papadopoulos continued.

Dr. Papadopoulos said that the Army of Conquest formed at the beginning of 2015 and after its formation it scored a major battlefield victory when it captured Idlib city in the north of Syria and the rest of the province.

“Its political and financial backers are Saudi Arabia and Turkey and even though Ankara may now be reconsidering its policy of supporting Islamist terrorist groups, Turkey is the major supporter of the Army of Conquest responsible for numerous atrocities in Aleppo with their artillery bombardment of civilians,” he noted.

https://soundcloud.com/radiosputnik/riyadh-qatar-and-turkey-responsible-for-downing-of-russias-mi-8-in-syria-marcus-papadopoulos

When asked that whether the downing of the Russian helicopter and the death of its crew will lead to the Army of Conquest losing its foreign sponsors or becoming officially recognized as a terrorist group, Dr. Papadopoulos said that “there is little chance of that happening because the Americans are supporting numerous other Islamist terrorist groups in Syria.”

He said that when in 2013 Daesh started to make its move in Syria there was no condemnation from the American government. It was only toward the end of that year when Daesh reemerged in Iraq and started posing a direct threat to the Western-backed Iraqi government that the Americans finally acted. Prior to that, they were only too happy to see Daesh advancing in Syria, capturing Syrian territories and committing atrocities.

“So there is no chance of the US listing the Army of Contest as a terrorist group,” Dr. Papadopoulos noted.

The downing of the Russian helicopter came shortly after Daesh posted a video where it called for waging a jihad against Russia.

When asked whether these two things could be connected somehow, Dr. Papadopoulos said that after Russia launched its antiterrorist campaign in Syria that actually turned the table in that conflict, it is now seen by Daesh, al-Nusra Front, the Army of Conquest and others as one of their main enemies.

Answering a question about the terrorists disseminating video accounts of their atrocities, Dr. Panadopoulos said that such photos and videos must be banned and that there should be censorship.

“I don’t really care what people in the West say about censorship being not in line with Western values of democracy and freedom of expression. There has to be a line drawn somewhere, that pictures of atrocities, beheadings, of bodies being dragged behind trucks should be prohibited on social media.”

“This would deprive the terrorists of a very important channel of recruitment. We have to fight them on the battlefield and we should also beat them on social media by banning their pages on Facebook and preventing them from uploading their appalling photos and videos,” Dr. Marcus Papadopoulos emphasized.

The downing of the Mi-8 has become the deadliest episode for the Russian military since it started bombing terrorist-held territories in Syria in September 2015.

Saudi, Turkey, Qatar behind dangerous escalation: Syria

May 24, 2016 By administrator

Syria has written to to the United Nations, blaming Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar for Monday terrorist bombings which killed at leas 154 people in the coastal cities of in Tartous and Jableh.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry sent a letter to the United Nations, saying the blasts are a “dangerous escalation by the hostile and extremist regimes in Riyadh, Ankara and Doha.”

The letter said the three countries seek to derail UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva and frustrate efforts to stop bloodshed in Syria as well as undermine “remarkable achievements” of the Syrian army against terrorists.

The ministry said the Security Council’s inaction in the face of “heinous crimes being perpetrated by foreign-sponsored terrorist groups across Syria has emboldened those regimes that support terrorism to deploy their terrorist pawns to Syria.”

The letter also criticized Britain, France and the US over their refusal to label Jaysh al-Islam and al-Qaeda-affiliated Ahrar al-Sham as terrorist groups, saying the approach speaks to their lack of seriousness in fighting terrorism.

Bombings and terrorist attacks, the letter said, will not dent Syria’s determination to combat terrorism.

It urged the UN Security Council to adopt immediate punitive measures against the states that sponsor terrorism and undermine international peace and security.

More than 300 people were also wounded in the Monday attacks in the Mediterranean coastal cities, some of them critically, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Lebanese Hezbollah movement condemned the deadly bombings in a statement, saying they called for a clear and resolute stance against regional and global powers supporting terrorism.

“These genocides, which are being carried out by Takfiri groups with backing and support by international secret services and with a cover by well-known Arab officials and countries, are the result of a dark ideology that aims to spread fear and chaos in our Arab and Muslim societies.”

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. Damascus says Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar are the main supporters of the militants fighting the government forces.

United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the Syrian crisis.

Qatar Support Turkish atrocity on Kurd PKK breaks Arab League

August 5, 2015 By administrator

Qatari Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani (2ndL) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

The Gulf country offers its ‘full solidarity’ as Turkey carries out northern Iraq bombing campaign targeting PKK militants,

Qatar has broken ranks with the Arab League to give close ally Turkey its full support for air strikes in northern Iraq, according to an official foreign ministry statement.

On Tuesday, the Arab League condemned Turkey’s actions and called on Ankara to recognise the sovereignty of Iraq.

The Arab League, of which Qatar has been a member since 1971, also called on Turkey and Iraq to increase cooperation in order to try and preserve peace.

In the statement released by Qatar’s official news agency late on Tuesday, however, Doha distanced itself from the Arab League declaration.

“The statement issued… on behalf of the Arab League was not discussed with the League member-states before releasing it,” it read.

“Qatar reiterated its full solidarity with the Republic of Turkey for its actions and measures to protect its borders and preservation of its security and stability.”

Relations between Qatar and Turkey have grown increasingly warm in recent years and 2015 has even been named by the countries as the “Qatar-Turkey Year of Culture”.

Turkey carried out the air strikes in recent weeks, claiming they were targeting militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.

Iraqi Kurdish officials have said civilians were killed during the raids.

– See more at: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/qatar-breaks-arab-league-ranks-support-turkey-bombing-iraq-2096897000#sthash.XoR2qODJ.dpuf

KSA, Qatar, Kuwait oil wheels of terror: Fmr. UK secy. David Blunkett

November 17, 2014 By administrator

presstv Britain’s former Home Secretary David Blunkett

Britain’s former Home Secretary David Blunkett has accused Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait of “oiling the wheels of terror” around the world.

Blunkett has written in the Sunday Telegraph that the money made through the sale of crude in the oil-rich Persian Gulf Arab kingdoms is being used to purchase arms and communication facilities for the terrorist group of ISIL.

“They cannot parade on the international scene their desire to assist in taking on the global threat from extremism but then condone, in their own back yard, those providing the means to carry through that deadly intent,” he wrote.

The former Home Secretary believes the Arab monarchies must take action against their citizens involved in such funding.

Now the publisher and editor of the UK-based magazine, Politics First, Dr. Marcus Papadopoulos says: “Britain does have a very important role to play in exposing to the international community the role those countries (Saudi Arabia, Qatar & Kuwait) are playing in exporting and encouraging religious terrorism.”

But he notes that “the Americans, the British and the French together with the Saudis and the Qataris and the Kuwaitis weakened the Syrian government” to create terrorists groups such as ISIL.

“The whole irony of the West’s position on Syria is that it actually has created the bloody turmoil that we see in Syria today,” he added.

Dr. Papadopoulos went on to say that “Saudi Arabia in particular hasn’t just started supporting religious extremist groups in the last few years in Syria, for the last 30 years, it has been the leading exporter of religious extremism to the world.”

Riyadh and Doha officially reject any nexus with Takfiri groups. But the two Arab states are accused of using their vast oil wealth to support and promote the Takfiri ideology.

US Congress Goes After ‘Frenemies’ Turkey, Qatar

September 11, 2014 By administrator

Lawmakers are threatening sanctions against US allies that support Hamas.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., says the U.S. has a “complex relationship” with “so-called allies” Turkey and Qatar.

By: Julian Pecquet, Congressional Correspondent for Al-Monitor
Al-Monitor

Congress delivered its staunchest warning to date on Sept. 9 that Turkey and Qatar could face financial and other penalties if they continue to support Hamas and other US-designated terrorist organizations.

Frustration that had been mounting for months if not years boiled over as lawmakers returned from an August recess marked by the conflict in Gaza. During a hearing on “Hamas’ benefactors,” members of both parties agreed with witnesses who described the two countries as US “frenemies” and endorsed calls for a much tougher line.

“We must make our message clear: If you help finance Hamas, there will be significant consequences and they will be unpleasant,” said Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs panel on terrorism. “I hope Qatar and Turkey are listening.”

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., said she agreed with the “frenemies” characterization. “It’s a descriptive grabber,” the chairwoman of the Middle East and North Africa subcommittee told Al-Monitor. “I worry that it makes light of it, but that’s not the intent. It’s capturing the complex relationship we have with our so-called allies.”

The two countries are accused of taking over as the main foreign patrons for Hamas after Iran and the Sunni organization had a falling out three years ago over its support for rebel fighters seeking to dislodge Tehran ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Qatar hosts Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal and has pledged $400 million in infrastructure funding for Hamas; Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meanwhile, allegedly pledged $300 million to the Hamas government in Gaza when he was prime minister and is close to the organization ideologically.

Jonathan Schanzer, of the hawkish and influential Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the Treasury Department should slap new sanctions designations on Turkish and Qatari individuals and entities. Treasury Department officials are scheduled to brief congressional staff about Hamas sanctions on Friday, a congressional aide told Al-Monitor, and Turkey and Qatar are expected to be top topics of debate.

“With Qatar and Turkey we have not even begun to call them out,” said Schanzer. “Up until now it’s been the quiet approach, asking them nicely. That has not worked.”

The Treasury Department points out that it has repeatedly — and publicly — denounced Qatar’s support for Hamas, notably in a March 4 speech by Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen. The department has also sanctioned a number of secondary Qatari and Turkish entities and individuals over the years, notably in the latest round of Iran sanctions announced last month.

Schanzer urged Congress to put a hold on a pending $11 billion arms deal with Qatar as well as arms sales to Turkey. And he said Congress could start exploring alternatives to the US air base at al-Udeid in Qatar; he told Al-Monitor that the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Iraqi Kurdistan have all quietly made it known that they may be interested in hosting US military forces if the Obama administration were to reduce the US presence in Qatar.

[ALSO: Is the Islamic State Holding Turkey Hostage?]

“Having that assessment done, either by the GAO [Government Accountability Organization] or the Pentagon, I think would send the exact right message to the Qataris that they will not enjoy the protection of the United States forever so long as this relationship continues with Hamas,” Schanzer said.

Some lawmakers emphatically agreed.

“I think your recommendations are spot-on,” said Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla. “And we will promote introducing those as far as legislation.”

Others, however, worried that US leverage isn’t as great as it may seem — especially at a time when both Qatar and Turkey can be expected to play key roles in the anti-Islamic State strategy that President Barack Obama is expected to unveil Wednesday evening.

“Policymakers should be realistic,” testified Steven Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations. “Registering American disapproval over the relationship between Qatar and Hamas and Turkey and Hamas is unlikely to alter policies in Doha or Ankara. These ties serve both Qatari and Turkish regional interests.”

Cook said Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has close ideological ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and its Palestinian offshoot, Hamas. He argued that Qatar, by contrast, supports similar groups as a way to establish its independence from the much larger Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.

Those concerns registered with Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., a leading member of the congressional Turkey Caucus. Connolly pointed out that when he co-authored a private letter to Erdogan over the summer admonishing him for his anti-Israel vitriol, Erdogan ended up using the letter in his presidential bid.

Geopolitical considerations aside, however, most members of the committee appear to think terrorism financing demands a clear response from Congress.

“Relationships with some of these countries are complicated,” the top Democrat on the Middle East panel, Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida, told Al-Monitor. “Support for Hamas is not complicated, and our response to their support for Hamas should not be complicated either.”

Egypt says Qatar, Turkey and Hamas hurt Gaza ceasefire bid

July 18, 2014 By administrator

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri speaks during an interview with the Associated Press, July 17. AP Photo

CAIRO – Reuters

Egypt’s foreign minister accused Qatar, Turkey and Hamas on July 17 of conspiring to undermine Cairo’s efforts to bring about a ceasefire between the Palestinian militant group and Israel in Gaza, Egypt’s state news agency reported.

Egypt sees Hamas as a threat because it is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, which the army removed from power last year, straining ties with the Gulf Arab state of Qatar and with Turkey, both countries that backed Egypt’s ousted president Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri made the accusation against Turkey, Qatar and Hamas in a briefing with local newspaper editors, the state news agency MENA reported.

“Had Hamas accepted the Egyptian initiative, at least 40 Palestinian souls would have been saved,” MENA quoted Shukri as saying.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 17 instructed the military to begin a ground offensive in Gaza, an official statement from his office said. Reuters witnesses and Gaza residents reported heavy artillery and naval shelling and helicopter fire along the Gaza border.

Egypt had proposed a permanent ceasefire plan on July 15, which Israel accepted. But Hamas, saying its terms had been ignored, rejected it.

Hamas wants Israel and Egypt to lift border restrictions that have deepened economic hardship among Gaza’s 1.8 million populace and caused a cash crunch in the movement, which has been unable to pay its employees for months.

Egypt accuses Hamas of supporting militant groups in the Sinai seeking to topple the Cairo government, an allegation it denies.

Syria: UN must condemn deadly twin bombings in Homs:

April 11, 2014 By administrator

Syria has called on the United Nations to condemn the recent terrorist bomb attacks which killed over 20 people, including women and children, in the country’s western city of Homs.

In letters to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council, the Syrian Foreign Ministry criticized the world body’s “continued silence” on the crimes perpetrated by foreign-backed terrorist groups against Syrians, SANA reported on Thursday.

“The government of Syrian Arab Republic calls on the Security Council to condemn that terrorist crime which claimed the lives of scores of Syrian innocents [as well as] other terrorist crimes that shed the Syrians’ blood,” said the letters.

The letters also said the Security Council should “punish” Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey for supporting the Takfiri terrorists operating against Syria and turning a blind eye to the UN body’s resolutions on counterterrorism.

On April 9, at least 25 people were killed and more than 100 others injured when two car bomb attacks targeted a commercial street in the central part of Homs.

Later on the same day, foreign-backed militants reportedly shot and killed 14 people, including women and children, in the city’s Karm al-Zeitoun neighborhood.

Homs has been the scene of frequent attacks by foreign-sponsored extremist groups since the start of the deadly militancy in Syria some three years ago.

Reports say more than 150,000 people have so far been killed and millions of others displaced because of the ongoing violence plaguing the Arab state.

President Bashar al-Assad has vowed that his country would strike terror “with an iron fist.” He has also pledged that Syria will emerge “victorious” and “more powerful” from the foreign-backed crisis.

Source: PressTV

Syria UN envoy says militants kill civilians, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey are killing Syrian people

March 29, 2014 By administrator

Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar Ja’afari says militants backed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey are killing Syrian people.

Ja’afari on Friday denied the use of bombs against people by government forces.

“No. What you see on TV is publicity. …We are not killing our own people.”

The Syrian envoy added that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey are supporting the militants, who mainly come from Chechnya, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tunisia, Libya and Saudi Arabia. They “are killing people” in Syria, he stated.

Ja’afari also denounced some members of the UN Security Council and its secretariat for refusing to hear the truth about the situation in Syria.

Those countries themselves are “deeply involved” in “spreading terrorism” across Syria, the Syrian ambassador said.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Reports say some 140,000 people have so far been killed and millions of others displaced due to the crisis.