July 2016 Military Coup in Turkey

[Palinurus]

Very much appreciate - SOTT doing a show on this convoluted situation. I was unable to listen to the show (celebrating my Birthday with family) but I just checked the link Niall posted and I'm getting, " Error loading player: No playable sound" after trying twice. Hope to have these "little things" corrected soon!

There are two possible solutions:

One: download the show in mp3 format and play the download with what you've got for media player on your computer.

Two: download and install the vlc media player and play the show directly from the SOTT Radio show webpage (Niall's link).

The problem arises from the OGG sound codex which some media players cannot convert into sound, unless special codexes are added to it first.

Hope this helps you out. :)

EDITED to add:
oddly enough I only realized that I forgot to congratulate you with your birthday after I returned to the first Recent posts page, so without further ado: Happy Birthday to you !

 

[bjorb]

[quote author= Angelburst29]"Did Erdogan plan the Coup along with the U.S. and NATO elements"[/quote]

No, I don't think so, Erdogan had nothing to do with it, Western media claimed Erdogan staged it himself based on how during the after-match preparation was well in order to round guilty and suspected people up.

But having such a blacklist is common sense for every country that finds itself infiltrated.


[quote author= Angelburst29]or there's some truth that Putin "did warn Erdogan" ahead of time and NATO operatives got wind of it - and jump started the Coup, a few hours before it was originally scheduled to commence?
[/quote]

According to C’s Putin warned Erdogan ahead of time, several report also point this out. And it could very well influenced the events that followed in his favor. OSIT.


[quote author= Angelburst29]By "'deep state' NATO elements" I'm assuming this refers to Gulen's followers that have established high positions in Government, Military and Media outlets? (NATO's eyes and ears.) Reason for the heavy purges and detainment?
[/quote]

I think Gulen network can be replaced with Turkey's 5th colomn aka CIA/NATO network. Erdogan just calls it Gulen because naming it properly means to the public that the West declared war on Turkey.

It's always better to fight on your own terms so Erdogan will now break of relationships in a manner that favors him.


[quote author= Angelburst29]Did Erdogan conned the U.S. just so he wouldn't have any more opposition (2 year plan), in his quest to enter Jarabulus and once in - all deals were off and Erdogan proceeded to do what he originally intended[/quote]

2 year plan didn't occurred before because air-support was not possible. I suspect it had to do with Russia’s ''no fly zone'' in the area. but now they suddenly dared to do so. I think that is because Russia and Turkey are secretly in agreement with this ''invasion''

It's meant to keep the Kurdish factions in check from carrying out plan B and set up border control inside Syria as a buffer zone between the 2 countries.

Getting US air support involved is just to arouse confusion within US circles I think. Erdogan might have told the US, go with us and we create this long desired ''safe zone'' Or lose us an ally. The more confusion, the more your enemies walk in circles when you execute your plan against them.


[quote author= Angelburst29]Personally, I'm hoping Erdogan will take steps "for Peace".[/quote]

Best chance of that happening is when he follows the Russian plan. It seems to be the case.

But he must be careful about handling the Kurds correctly, otherwise they might get more in bed with the US. Russia and Iran still have significant sway to swing among Kurdish factions.

I believe that the Kurds believe that their own state will offer them protecting and peace. In fact it will only offer them war. If they truly want peace and end this cycle of hatred a peace agreement has to happen between the Kurds and Turks.

Hopefully Turkey will go to war against ISIS/ Al Nusra soon. If that happens the Kurds and Turks will have a common enemy. Many good things can come from that.

The 4+1 coalition is now actually the 5+1 coalition with Turkey. I hope the Kurds will follow soon, making it the 5+2 coalition.


If the US still wants to go to war in Syria after that. Best of luck, they are getting more isolated by the day

And if it isn't still to late, Happy Birthday!! :)

 

[angelburst29]

There are two possible solutions:

One: download the show in mp3 format and play the download with what you've got for media player on your computer.

Two: download and install the vlc media player and play the show directly from the SOTT Radio show webpage (Niall's link).

The problem arises from the OGG sound codex which some media players cannot convert into sound, unless special codexes are added to it first.

Hope this helps you out. :)

Appreciate the timely advise, Palinurus and Thank You for the well wishes on the Birthday! I shared the Day with my GrandDaughter who just turned a year old, a few days before. I got treated with a Party Hat, balloons and all the activity of about a dozen little ones in assorted activities. About two hours into the fun, I realized, "I'm not as young as I use to be". Big age gap - there!

 

[angelburst29]

[quote author= Angelburst29]Did Erdogan conned the U.S. just so he wouldn't have any more opposition (2 year plan), in his quest to enter Jarabulus and once in - all deals were off and Erdogan proceeded to do what he originally intended

2 year plan didn't occurred before because air-support was not possible. I suspect it had to do with Russia’s ''no fly zone'' in the area. but now they suddenly dared to do so. I think that is because Russia and Turkey are secretly in agreement with this ''invasion''.

It's meant to keep the Kurdish factions in check from carrying out plan B and set up border control inside Syria as a buffer zone between the 2 countries.

Getting US air support involved is just to arouse confusion within US circles I think. Erdogan might have told the US, go with us and we create this long desired ''safe zone'' Or lose us an ally. The more confusion, the more your enemies walk in circles when you execute your plan against them.
[...]
And if it isn't still to late, Happy Birthday!! :)
[/quote]

Appreciate the well wishes, Bjorn and Thank You!

I'm starting to see indications that you may be right and that there might be a secret agreement between Erdogan and Putin. Seems the U.S. are running into some problems - with what Erdogan is trying to do?
If he's working with Russia, I suspect he'll clear Manbij and work his way up to Al-Bab, so it will make it easier to help clean up the mess in Aleppo and get Humanitarian aid into there?

Ankara is making preparations for an offensive in the north Syrian city of Manbij because it is skeptical about Washington's promises of a Kurdish withdrawal from the area, retired Turkish Major-General Armagan Kuloglu told Sputnik.

Washington's 'Double-Dealing' Leads Turkey to Gear Up for Manbij Offensive
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160831/1044805455/turkey-manbij-offensive-kurds-us.html

On August 24 the Turkish military began an operation in the region of Jarabulus, a Syrian city on the border with Turkey. Jarabulus has been in the hands of Syrian opposition groups since 2012, and in 2013 the Daesh terrorist group took control of the city. Two days before that, Ankara had started shelling Daesh positions in northern Syria close to Jarabulus, as well as shelling positions of the Kurdish YPG. Turkish representatives 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 of Turkey.

Turkey sent 20 tanks and infantry across the border to assist the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) in an offensive against Daesh at Jarabulus. Turkey's Defense Minister Fikri Isik told NTV that Ankara wants to rid the area of Daesh and help the FSA to gain control, rather than Kurdish forces.

"The operation has two fundamental aims. Firstly, providing border security. Secondly, to remove the PYD-YPG’s presence in that area. Until the FSA establishes control, to remain where we are is our right. Unfortunately, there is no Syrian government authority in that area. We are, as Turkey, defending the territorial integrity of Syria. The PYD has to withdraw to the east of the Euphrates. In our talks with the American side a week ago, we were told they will do so within two weeks. They haven’t done so yet. We are watching closely," Isik said.

Retired Turkish Major-General Armagan Kuloglu told Sputnik that Turkey is feeling deceived by the US,
which is cooperating with the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed militia, the People's Protection Units (YPG), in Syria. Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the pro-independence Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a rebel group in Turkey which is fighting for autonomy from Ankara. However, it has not been able to dissuade its allies from cooperating with the Syrian YPG. Earlier this month the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces drove out Daesh from the city of Manbij, 32km from Jarabulus. Kuloglu said that Turkey may feel compelled to push further into Syrian territory if it feels threatened by broken promises from the US about the extent of Kurdish control in northern Syria.

"The US promised Turkey that the presence of Kurdish forces in Manbij would end, and they would depart to east of the Euphrates River. If that promise is not kept, then there is a need for an operation (in Manbij). However, Free Syrian Army troops need assistance for this kind of operation, so it is inevitable that in that case Turkey will participate," Kuloglu said.

"Perhaps it will take place in the next few days, because Turkey has already sent extra reinforcements, weapons and military equipment to the region. For Ankara, clearing this region of Kurdish (militia) groups is essential, because it fears that after Manbij the Kurds will go further, to Marea and Al-Bab and thus will be able to create a corridor linking Kurdish territory. Turkey is insisting on the departure of Kurdish forces east of the Euphrates in order to prevent that."

Kuloglu said that Washington has put itself in a difficult position, because while it wants to maintain cooperation with the Kurdish-led FSA in other areas of Syria, its ally Ankara is intent on weakening the Kurds. "The US supports Turkey in the fight against Daesh, but at the same time it is telling Ankara not to clash with the Syrian Kurds. America is double-dealing."

"Firstly, yes, it wants the Kurds to move the east of the Euphrates, but why does the US need that? In order to use the Kurdish forces in an operation to free Raqqa. Meanwhile, the PYD's main task is to complete the unification of the (Kurdish-held) regions, creating a corridor. The US does not want the Syrian Kurdish forces to be diminished before the Raqqa operation begins, that's why they condemn the clashes between Turkey and the PYD. The US needs to convince the Kurds as quickly as possible to move east of the Euphrates, since Turkey sees the Kurdish presence west of the Euphrates as a threat to its security," said Kuloglu, who anticipates continuing conflict between Washington and Ankara over the issue. "Perhaps there will be some temporary disagreements between Turkey and the US about the departure of Kurdish troops from the Western territory. In general, the near future will see a lot of negotiations and clashes between the parties, who are trying to protect their interests in the region."

Turkish official has denied recent US statements about reached ceasefire agreement with Syrian Kurdish forces.

Ankara Denies US Statements on Ceasefire Deal Between Turkey, Syrian Kurds
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160831/1044803933/turkey-kurds-ceasefire-us.html

Turkey's Minister for EU Affairs Omer Celik denied recent US statements on Wednesday that Ankara had reached a ceasefire agreement with Syrian Kurdish forces. On Tuesday, media reported citing US diplomatic sources that a ceasefire was achieved between Turkey and Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).

"Turkey is a sovereign country. Therefore, there can be no talk of Turkey reaching any sort of deal with a terrorist group, considering it an equal. Syrian defense forces are not pursuing the interests of ethnic Kurds, but rather their own," Celik told Anadolu.

The majority of the Syrian Kurdish self-defense forces left the west bank of the Euphrates River, according to Turkish Minister for EU Affairs Omer Celik.

Syrian Kurdish Militia Largely Withdraws From West Bank of Euphrates River
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160831/1044806133/turkey-syria-military.html

The Syrian Kurdish militia has largely withdrawn from the west bank of the Euphrates River, Turkish Minister for EU Affairs Omer Celik said on Wednesday.

"Today's reports say that the majority of the Syrian Kurdish self-defense forces have left the west bank of the Euphrates River, however, their withdrawal is incomplete, and that is unacceptable," Celik was quoted as saying by the NTV broadcaster.

 

[Joe]

What's still not clear in my mind, "Did Erdogan plan the Coup along with the U.S. and NATO elements" or there's some truth that Putin "did warn Erdogan" ahead of time and NATO operatives got wind of it - and jump started the Coup, a few hours before it was originally scheduled to commence?

While there's no way to know for sure, the evidence suggests that this was a real NATO/CIA coup against Erdogan and he narrowly missed being ousted, probably due to Russian warnings.

 

[angelburst29]

What's still not clear in my mind, "Did Erdogan plan the Coup along with the U.S. and NATO elements" or there's some truth that Putin "did warn Erdogan" ahead of time and NATO operatives got wind of it - and jump started the Coup, a few hours before it was originally scheduled to commence?

While there's no way to know for sure, the evidence suggests that this was a real NATO/CIA coup against Erdogan and he narrowly missed being ousted, probably due to Russian warnings.

Very much appreciate the feed back, Joe.

If reports like this one below is an indication of Erdogan doing an "about face" and working with Syria and Russia on an eventual Peace settlement, the U.S. probably has him pegged "as a loose cannon" and it wouldn't surprise me - if there was another attempt on Erdogan's life? I'm sure, he has "beefed-up" security but still .....

Turkish leadership is ready to "promote tactical cooperation" with Damascus since it currently views Daesh and the Kurds as the greatest threat to the country, not Bashar al-Assad, political analyst Oytun Orhan, told Sputnik, adding that both countries are also concerned that a US-backed autonomous region will be created in northern Syria.

Turkey, Syria Worry That 'US-Backed Autonomous Region Will be Created in Syria'
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160901/1044840692/turkey-syria-conflict.html

"Both Damascus and Turkey understand that under current conditions they need each other and have shared interests," Orhan, an expert on the Middle East at the Ankara-based Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM) said. "This has become particularly apparent in recent months."

Ankara has drastically changed its foreign policy in recent months in a bid to strengthen its security.
Turkey has been rocked by terrorist attacks that the authorities attribute either to Daesh, the terrorist group that still controls large parts of Iraq and Syria, or the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Turkey's former strategy involved supporting radical armed militias fighting in Syria to overthrow Assad. That approach did not pay off. Ankara is now trying to improve relations with its neighbors and other stakeholders in the Syrian crisis to put an end to the war. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has aptly summarized this strategy as making friends and reducing the number of enemies. This is why Turkish authorities have changed their stance on Assad, saying that he does not have to resign to kick start the peace process. It is a major departure from Turkey's foreign policy on Syria for the past five years. Both countries have shared interests, Orhan noted, citing the Kurds and Syria's territorial integrity as prime examples. "Despite the fact that the Syrian government supported the Kurds at first, they have gradually turned into a 'headache' for Damascus and pose a threat to it," he said.

In mid-August, government forces and the Kurds clashed in the Syrian city of Hasakah, with Kurdish fighters attempting to take the entire city under control. The unprecedented standoff ended with both sides agreeing to a ceasefire that has held since.

In addition, Ankara and Damascus want to uphold Syria's territorial integrity, a stance shared by Russia and Iran.

Furthermore, "both Turkey and Syria are concerned that an autonomous region under the influence of the US will be created in northern Syria. In this respect, Turkey and Syria could promote tactical cooperation," the analyst said. "This does not mean that the leaders of both countries will resolve the crisis in bilateral relations and will pose for photos, shaking each other's hands."

Oytun Orhan also said that "working with Russia and Iran on the Syrian issue is a priority for Turkey at the moment," the analyst said, calling them "Assad's main backers." By promoting cooperation with Moscow and Tehran, "Ankara, albeit indirectly, has accepted the current Syrian leadership as a stakeholder in the peace process."

Rodi Osman, the head of Syrian Kurdistan's representative office in Moscow, stated that Daesh militants left the town of Jarabulus before the Turkish forces arrived there, as there is no real confrontation between Daesh and Ankara.

Ankara’s Syria Operation Aims to Fight Kurds, Gain Control of Aleppo
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160831/1044813431/kurds-turkey-syria-aleppo.html

The real aim of Ankara’s military operation in Syria is to fight Kurdish militants and to reach Aleppo in a bid to retake the city before Syrian-government troops can, Rodi Osman, the head of Syrian Kurdistan's representative office in Moscow, told Sputnik.

“Turkey’s main aim in Syria is not countering Islamic State [IS], because Turkey has never fought IS… All they say about fighting Islamists is a cover story. Turkey’s real aim is to fight the Kurds,” Osman said, adding that "Turkey is concerned by the strengthening of the Kurds, their advance on the west and liberation of the city of Manbij." The representative of Syrian Kurdistan added that Turkey is also afraid that the Kurds may seize control of the Syria-Turkey border and link the Kurdish autonomous regions of Afrin and Kobani in northern Syria, separated by jihaidists-occupied territories at the moment.

According to Osman, after taking control of Jarabulus, the Turkish troops will advance toward Aleppo, capturing the cities of Al-Rai and Al Bab on the way.

"The City of Al Bab is very important, as it opens the way to Aleppo, because Turkey's main goal is Aleppo. It is necessary for the realization of Turkey's neo-Ottoman plans," the Kurdistan spokesman said. Such advancement to the south would allow Ankara forces and Turkey-supported Syrian opposition groups to unite with other militants south of Aleppo, he said. “Without such a ‘corridor,’ the Syrian rebels south of Aleppo are doomed, as the city might be taken by [Syrian President Bashar] Assad's troops,” Osman said. According to Osman, Daesh militants left the town of Jarabulus before the Turkish forces arrived there, as there is no real confrontation between Daesh and Ankara.

"IS militants either retreat in advance — the way they did in Jarabulus, when they simply gave up the town — or change clothes. Today they are IS militants, tomorrow they are the Free Syrian Army or some other armed group," Osman said.

The Kurdistan representative said that since nobody can distinguish one fighters from the other, they can easily move from group to group. "It looks as though the Syrian opposition, with the support of Turkey, liberated Jarabulus from IS. While in reality, the fighters simply changed flags," Osman said.

Moscow and Washington are "a few steps from" reaching a deal on the Syrian city of Aleppo, a senior Russian diplomat said.

Russia, US 'Few Steps From' Reaching Aleppo Coordination Deal
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160901/1044843339/russia-us-aleppo-deal.html

Russia and the United States are close to reaching an agreement on coordinating actions in Syria's Aleppo, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Thursday. "We are, I hope, a few steps from an agreement on the special situation around Aleppo. Our military officials will meet again within few hours to reach a final deal. We haven't reached it yet," Ryabkov told Tasnim news agency.

 

[Joe]

Turkish leadership is ready to "promote tactical cooperation" with Damascus since it currently views Daesh and the Kurds as the greatest threat to the country, not Bashar al-Assad, political analyst Oytun Orhan, told Sputnik, adding that both countries are also concerned that a US-backed autonomous region will be created in northern Syria.

Turkey, Syria Worry That 'US-Backed Autonomous Region Will be Created in Syria'
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160901/1044840692/turkey-syria-conflict.html

This is precisely what we were saying on the radio show last Sunday. the US' "plan B" to control the region is to create a new state, against the wishes of Syria, Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Russia. But the empire reckons it can push ahead anyway. "facts on the ground" and all that nonsense.

 

[angelburst29]

Turkish leadership said that the ground offensive in northern Syria was carried out in coordination with the US-led anti-Daesh coalition but Ankara appears to have launched the military campaign, dubbed Operation Euphrates Shield, without giving Washington a heads up.

Turkey's Ground Offensive in Syria Caught Washington 'Off Guard'
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160901/1044857795/turkey-us-syria-operation.html

True, both sides discussed the possible operation months before it was launched. In fact, the Turks apparently raised the issue in June 2015, but the US "did not believe Turkey's plan [was] feasible," an unnamed senior military source told newspaper Hurriyet last week.

Turkey's plans were shelved when Russia launched its counterterrorism campaign in Syria in September 2015. The downing of a Russian bomber by the Turkish Air Force on November 24, 2015, was also a factor that prevented Ankara from giving the operation the green light. Washington seems to have warmed up to the initiative in recent months, but the US wanted to remove Kurdish forces from the conflict area. The White House was ready to conduct a high-level meeting on the possible operation on August 24, the Wall Street Journal reported, but by that time Turkey had already launched the ground offensive.

"Ankara pulled the trigger on the mission unilaterally, without giving officials in Washington advance warning," the newspaper noted, adding that Turkey conducted its first airstrikes against targets in Syria alone.

The US decided to provide air cover to the Turkish forces only after it understood that Operation Euphrates Shield was underway.

The media outlet described what happened as a "breakdown in coordination" that the US chose to keep under wraps. Early on August 24, the Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim issued a statement saying that Turkey launched an operation to free the Syrian city of Jarablus that involved "the Turkish Armed Forces and the International Coalition Air Forces," referring to the US warplanes. Hours later an unnamed US official told Reuters that the US Air Force would provide air cover for Operation Euphrates Shield, adding that Washington was "in synch" with Ankara's initiative.

Apparently, this is not how it went down. "Behind the scenes, cooperation between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization partners broke down at senior levels," the WSJ reported, citing unnamed officials from the US and Turkey. "The two countries weren't as aligned on the operation as their public statements indicated."

As a result, Turkey's operation undermined Washington's "behind-the-scenes" efforts to remove the Syrian Kurds from regions west of the Euphrates, something that Ankara has always seen as a red line.

Since Washington failed to accomplish this task on time, Turkey's decision to go ahead with the operation also "created a prickly, new challenge for the US" as fighting erupted between its two regional allies that were supposed to focus on tackling Daesh.

Earlier this week, reports emerged that Turkey and the Syrian Kurds reached a tentative agreement to halt fighting, but EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik later denied these reports. "Turkey is a sovereign country. Therefore, there can be no talk of Turkey reaching any sort of deal with a terrorist group, considering it an equal. Syrian defense forces are not pursuing the interests of ethnic Kurds, but rather their own," Celik told Anadolu news agency.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Erdogan says post-coup crackdown boosts judiciary

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/09/01/482719/Turkey-Erdogan-coup-crackdown

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has defended Ankara’s massive post-coup crackdown on thousands of judges and prosecutors, saying the measure will bolster the country’s judiciary.

Speaking to judges and prosecutors in the capital Ankara on Thursday, Erdogan rejected that the crackdown, which was launched after the 15 July coup attempt, would weaken Turkey’s judiciary.

“Quite the contrary I believe it will cause significant relief in the implementation of real justice,” said Erdogan of the detention of around 3,500 judges and prosecutors who are believed to be connected to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based opposition accused of masterminding the coup attempt.

Around 40,000 people have been detained in Turkey on charges of having links with the Gulen movement, as part of the clampdown underway since July 16, when the coup attempt was declared over.

Turkey says around 20,000 of the suspects have been formally arrested. Around 80,000 have also been relived of or suspended from public duty in the military, police, civil service and judiciary.

On Thursday, state media said the top Turkish judicial board has dismissed 543 more judges and prosecutors, bringing the number of the judiciary officials sacked so far to 3,300.

Ankara has faced fierce criticism from the West, especially Europe where governments and rights campaigners accuse the Turkish government of acting beyond the rule of law.

Turkey rejects the claims, saying the criticism is part of the Westerners’ sympathy for the coup plotters. Ankara has also defended the crackdown as a bid to avoid a repetition of such a putsch.

The Turkish Ministry of National Defense announced Thursday that the army and navy have dishonorably discharged 820 personnel of whom 648 were already under arrest.

Turkish Daily: ISIL Training Children in Ankara School

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950611000382

ARA News quoted Milliyet as reporting that the ISIL has a school in Turkey's capital in which it trains 30 children and teenagers between the ages 9 to 17 years old, including the girls.

Stressing that the Turkish officials are fully informed of the ISIL school, Milliyet reported that the militant group has rented the 5-story building in Ulucanlar street as an office but it is using the place as a school to teach and train the children.

It added that the ISIL has done the children's application registration and admission through the social media and will give them a certificate after the end of their trainings.

The daily also elaborated that the ISIL members residing in Ankara have shaved their beards to escape identification and peddle in streets, adding that their gathering center in Haci Bayram district in Ankara has been destroyed.

The report on the ISIL school in Ankara surfaced the media after security sources in Nineveh disclosed that the terrorist group has named a German kiddo for leading its execution squad in the province.

"The ISIL has started recruiting 10 to 17-year-old children and is using them for suicide attacks against the security forces in Nineveh and is now using the same kids for firing squads," the security sources told al-Soumeriya news website on Wednesday.

"After the ISIL decreased the salaries of its members, many of them have defected or are refusing to fight and therefore, the ISIL has been forced to use children," the source added.

"The ISIL has now chosen a German child as the commander of its execution brigades," he said.

A shocking new video released by the ISIL terrorist group earlier this month showed a British boy executing a prisoner with a handgun in Syria.

The blue-eyed white boy, identified in the video as Abu Abdullah al-Britani, was one of five children carrying out executions of Kurds in the city of Raqqa.

The boys, believed to be from Britain, Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia and Uzbekistan, made statements in Arabic before raising their handguns and executing the kneeling men in front of them.

The child executioners, believed to be about 10 to 13 years old, were clad in camouflage gear and black gloves and their faces were clearly on display.

One of the boys reportedly shouted in Arabic, “No one can save the Kurds even with the support of America, France, Britain, Germany, the devils in hell.”

They then placed handguns to the backs of the prisoners’ heads and pulled the trigger.

 

[bjorb]

[quote author= Angelburst29]I'm starting to see indications that you may be right and that there might be a secret agreement between Erdogan and Putin. Seems the U.S. are running into some problems - with what Erdogan is trying to do?
If he's working with Russia, I suspect he'll clear Manbij and work his way up to Al-Bab, so it will make it easier to help clean up the mess in Aleppo and get Humanitarian aid into there?
[/quote]

Yes I agree, it seems so, And Turkey also own a lot of militant groups in that area. No doubt that they will be told to aim their weapons on ISIS and other terrorist groups or join Turkish army divisions. Turkey is about to flip sides. And when they do, the war is basically over. That would only leave the borders of Jordan and Israel for possible resupply. But both are to far for the region of Aleppo anyhow.

US pathocrats will get raging mad when Turkey cuts the lifeline of their proxies, France, UK, Israel and the Gulf States will cry with them

And it seems US-air support didn't went exactly down as first reported:


US denies it failed to provide 'agreed' air cover to Turkish & FSA forces attacked by ISIS
https://www.rt.com/news/357856-us-air-support-turkey/

American officials have rebutted claims that its air force did not provide cover for a joint attack by rebels and Turkish forces in Syria. The lapse in cooperation allegedly led to the wounding of several Turkish troops.

“Turkish forces requested air support from coalition forces after an enemy vehicle attacked a Turkish tank in Jarablus in Syria on Tuesday,” Kiley Dougherty, Air Forces Central Command spokesperson Kiley Dougherty told Russia’s RIA news agency, which published a translated statement. “Coalition air support co-ordinated the operation with the Turkish air force, and troops on the ground, to identify and destroy the vehicle.”

While the statement broadly describes the outcome of the firefight, it omits key details claimed by the Turkish report that appeared on Wednesday.

Anadolu news agency confirmed that the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Turkish forces were taking heavy machine gun fire in Jarablus, when they tried to ask for support from the NATO airbase at Incirlik, from which the US-led coalition’s aircraft operate. The agency’s report also said that some US aircraft were already airborne for a regular patrolling mission.

However, the report claimed that US command was reluctant to provide air cover and reportedly delayed scrambling jets for about an hour, making excuses, though such scenarios were previously agreed between the US and Turkish militaries, according to Anadolu.

In the meantime, a Turkish tank which supported advancing rebels was hit by a rocket fired by Islamists, wounding three soldiers, an FSA source told the news agency.

“We could have lost many people,” the source said. “The Americans had promised to provide air support in case of an emergency, but they did not.

“They should have helped; however, the air intervention came in late because of them.”

Consequently, the Turkish Air Force scrambled its own aircraft which arrived “last minute” and hit IS targets, the source added. US-led coalition jets came in and bombed the area three hours later, and the airstrike was useless, Anadolu said.

The ground offensive has been part of Turkey’s ‘Operation Euphrates Shield’, launched in late August with a stated goal of retaking northern Syria from IS militants.

On August 24, Turkey deployed ground troops and Special Forces teams to the area, while the US-led coalition claimed it will synchronize its actions and airstrikes with the Turkish advance. Damascus has called the intervention a “blatant violation of the sovereignty” of Syria.

“What is happening in Jarablus now isn’t fighting terrorism as Turkey claims - rather it is replacing one type of terrorism with another,” a Syrian government official told SANA last week, calling upon the UN to “put an end to this aggression.”

The Tuesday incident will likely add more strain to the complicated relations between NATO allies Turkey and the US. Washington has already accused Ankara of fighting Kurdish opposition instead of combatting IS, urging to stop “unacceptable clashes.”

In turn, Turkey summoned US Ambassador John Bass to explain Washington’s comments. Last Wednesday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that Operation Euphrates Shield will continue, adding that Kurdish militia forces, the PKK, PYD and the YPG, “are all the same and hurt Turkey.”

“Operations will continue until all threats to Turkish citizens have been eliminated,” he said.

"The Turkish intervention is Syria is definitely creating a new self-confidence in the Turkish army. And I expect there will be a heated discussion between President Obama and President Erdogan when they meet at the G20 forum in China," Huseyin Bagci from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara told RT.

 

[angelburst29]

Turkey does not not believe the statements by US officials that Syrian Kurdish rebels have retreated east of the Euphrates River in Syria as demanded by Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday.

Erdogan Does Not Trust US Claims Kurds Retreated East of Euphrates in Syria
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160902/1044877788/erdogan-us-kurds-euphrates.html

On Sunday, media reported, citing an anonymous US defense official, that all Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) members, outlawed in Turkey, had moved east of the river.

"No, they [YPG] have not retreated [from areas bordering Turkey]. We base this on our own data. We do not believe the US claims that the terrorists have moved to the east of Euphrates," Erdogan said at a press conference at the Ankara airport ahead of his departure to China to take part in the Group of Twenty (G20) summit.

Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Syrian Kurdish militia would become a target for Turkish forces carrying out a military operation in northern Syria unless they move east of the Euphrates.

Turkish authorities have long been rumored to be planning to put boots on the ground in Syria; last week Ankara finally launched its large-scale military offensive to remove Daesh from the city of Jarablus, prevent Kurdish forces from moving further west and take the border region under control.

Key Reason Behind Turkey's Ground Operation in Syria
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160902/1044881594/turkey-ground-operation-kurds.html

Experts agree that the Kurds, whom Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his supporters view as an adversary, are the primary reason behind the campaign, formally known as Euphrates Shield. The name itself appears to highlight Ankara's true motives.

Turkish authorities have long said that Euphrates River was a red line that the Kurds could not cross. Should Kurdish militias choose to cross the river and advance further west, Ankara would send troops across the border, they warned. This is exactly what happened.

In early August, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), made up largely of the Kurds, liberated Manbij, a city located to the west of the Euphrates. They also said that they planned to move further west to liberate the town of al-Bab. On August 24, Turkey launched its military offensive.

In addition, Turkey also wanted to "ensure its border security and empower its position in the Syrian crisis," he added.

Turkey's goals with regard to the Syrian crisis have dramatically changed over the course of the last five years.

Ankara "currently prioritizes restoring highly fragile domestic security and aspire to an active role at the negotiation table for any post-conflict resettlement in Syria, rather than its initial aspirations to remove Assad and prevail in its geostrategic rivalry with Iran and Russia," Aras observed.

Fuad Shahbazov, a policy analyst at Wikistrat Inc, echoed these sentiments.

"Even though Ankara has not clarified its motives for entering Syria, it is no secret that the main source of concern for Turkey is the rising influence of the US-backed Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD)," he wrote for the Jerusalem Post. "Beyond that, Turkey seeks to strengthen its own influence in this part of Syria."

Shahbazov also mentioned that Turkey wants to destroy Daesh in northern Syria to make sure that the radical group that has wreaked havoc in the Middle East and beyond "is no longer able to pose a real threat to its national security."

However, the Turkish military does not seem to be focusing on Daesh which is still present in the regions surrounding Jarablus. "To clarify the situation on the ground a bit: While Turkey is pressing on SDF targets, [Daesh] continues to control scores of villages from Jarablus to al-Rai in the west," Turkish journalist Fehim Taştekin wrote for al-Monitor, adding that the brutal group "also controls the area from Turkey's borders to al-Bab in the south.

Taştekin singled out three tacit reasons behind Operation Euphrates Shield. These include establishing a de facto buffer zone in the Jarablus-Azaz-Marea triangle and opening a corridor for anti-Assad armed groups besieged in Aleppo, Syria's second largest city.

In addition, Ankara wants "to mobilize Turkey's Housing Development Agency to build satellite towns in the buffer zone to house Syrian refugees," he noted.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Jarablus Operation Shows 'Ankara Turning to Moscow and Tehran

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160902/1044901896/turkey-jarablus-operation.html

The Turkish operation in Jarablus shows that Ankara is changing its stance towards Syrian President Bashar Assad and is ready to cooperate with the key regional players, including Moscow and Ankara, an analyst said.

A week ago, Turkey launched a military operation dubbed Euphrates Shield in the northern Syrian city of Jarablus. The operation has been repeatedly criticized in the media and by experts, with some saying that Ankara could be dragged into a quagmire if Turkish forces stay in Syria for long.

Semih Idiz, author of many analytical pieces on foreign affairs, noted that Turkey could stay in Syria for a long time.

"The government announced that the operation would last as long as needed. Thus, I can’t rule out that Turkish forces may stay in Syria for long, at least, as long as the situation in Syria is unstable," Idiz said in an interview with the Turkish newspaper BirGun.

According to the expert, the Jarablus operation has several goals. The first goal is to destroy militants of the Daesh terrorist group. The second is to push Kurdish forces to the West from the Euphrates.

Then, Turkish forces will try to establish a controlled safe region, from Jarablus to Azaz, for refugees and at the same time to create a buffer zone between Turkey and Syria.

When the operation started Turkish troops and tanks received aerial support from an international coalition led by the United States. Washington supported Ankara’s combat actions against the Kurds despite the fact that Kurdish forces have long been a US ally in the fight against Daesh in Syria.

"Of course, the US is not happy with the conflict between Turkey and Kurds. Washington is facing a dilemma because the US is glad that Turkey is fighting Daesh," Idiz said.

He added that currently Turkey is also supported by Russia and Iran. Moscow and Tehran has long insisted on the need to preserve Syria’s territorial integrity.

"If Ankara has changed its stance towards [Syrian President Bashar] Assad then it means that Iran and Russia are close to a compromise with Turkey on the Kurdish problem," the expert suggested.

Idiz also commented on the dangers Ankara could face during the operation.

"Of course, there is a risk factor. Some say that Turkey may be dragged in a quagmire. It’s true because such operations always have risks. At the same time, the West is unlikely to interfere because Turkey is fighting Daesh in Syria," the expert said.

Arif Keskin, a specialist in Middle East issues, noted that the outcome of the Jarablus operation will depend on alliances Turkey will form.

"Ankara couldn’t have started a military operation in Syria independently. Syria may not become a quagmire if Ankara manages to form alliances with the US, Russia, Iran and the Syrian government. The operation is not sending a signal to Damascus and is not aimed at overthrowing Assad," Keskin told BirGun.

However, if the goals of the offensive are incorrect the operation could fail, he warned.

"If Turkey abandons some of its regional ambitions, sets pragmatic goals and forms a well-organized alliance Syria will not turn into a quagmire. The operation could even be successful. Turkey should consider the regional balance of power which is maintained by the US, Russia and Iran," Keskin said.

Keskin continued: "What is happening now could change the Turkish policy in the region. Ankara is now turning away from Washington and reaching to Moscow and Tehran. The Jarablus operation could strengthen Turkish ties with Russia and Iran."

Russia, Turkey plan to sign memorandum on over $1 bln joint investment fund

http://tass.com/economy/897314

The joint investments of the mooted Russia-Turkish fund may be launched in 2017

MOSCOW, September 2. /TASS/. Russia and Turkey plan to sign a memorandum on the establishment of over $1 billion joint investment fund during the G20 forum in China’s Hangzhou on September 4-5, Kirill Dmitriyev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said in an interview with Rossiya-24 television channel.

"We will be having important negotiations with Turkey," Dmitriyev said. "We will sign a memorandum of the formation of the joint Russian-Turkish fund on the sum of over $1 billion."

Dmitriyev earlier made statement that the joint investments of the mooted Russia-Turkish fund could be launched starting in 2017.

Turkey’s Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said at talks on July 26 that the investment fund of Russia and Turkey could be financed by various projects, including in the third countries as well.

It had been reported earlier that RDIF’s partner in the formation of the joint investment fund would be Turkey’s Sovereign Wealth Fund.

 

[bjorb]

Work in progress,

Take note that the wall isn't being build along the border where the Kurdish factions are in control. It's obvious being build and set up against ISIS etc. (War map: http://syria.liveuamap.com/en/time/04.08.2016)

 

[angelburst29]

Work in progress,

Take note that the wall isn't being build along the border where the Kurdish factions are in control. It's obvious being build and set up against ISIS etc. (War map: http://syria.liveuamap.com/en/time/04.08.2016)

Really great site, Bjorn! Updates every 5-6 hours on events, occasional video and an interactive map.
You can even skip over to Ukraine and check out what's going on - in real time.

Not to mix apples and oranges, but on the Ukraine site - there's a photo of four guys.
"Photo appeared today - reportedly "team" of Buk that shot down MH17"
"It's rumor, not confirmed information, possible fake or hoax."
http://liveuamap.com/en/2016/3-september-photo-appeared-today--reportedly-team-of-buk

https://twitter.com/golub/status/772132516375453696
"No proof it's them. Someone just found uncensored version of a picture we included in our 53rd Brigade report."

 

[bjorb]

[quote author= angelburst29]Really great site, Bjorn! Updates every 5-6 hours on events, occasional video and an interactive map.[/quote]

Their sources include direct raw info on the ground, That's what makes it stand out. Especially surrounding the Syrian conflict they seem to possess a consistent network of people willing to share their info. They either collect it or are directly in touch.

As you might have noticed from going through recent events on the website, Turkish forces inside Syria are awfully busy, something is brewing, and in a good way.