Turkey is complicit in funding the Islamic State militant group through purchase on the territory of Turkey of crude oil stolen from fields captured by ISIL.
MADRID (Sputnik) — Ankara is complicit in funding the Islamic State militant group through purchase on the territory of Turkey of crude oil stolen from fields captured by ISIL, a member of Confederal Group of the European United Left — Nordic Green Left told Sputnik.
“[Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan] has almost directly backed ways [of funding] the Islamic State and allowed purchasing oil stolen by IS, which is a source of funding for terrorists,” Javier Couso, also the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs vice-chair, said.
According to Couso, Erdogan is fighting Kurds despite their assistance in countering ISIL, and Brussels continues to support Ankara without paying attention to Turkey’s “destabilizing role.”
Couso stated that Turkey had failed to fulfill international resolutions and was seeking the overthrow of the Syrian government.
Islamic State has captured large areas in Syria and Iraq. Its advance is being countered by airstrikes of a US-led coalition, as well as an air campaign by Russia in Syria. Kurdish forces, as well as Syrian and Iraqi troops, are actively fighting extremists on the ground.