This guy doesn't cease to amaze me! Are we supposed to believe that Turkish troops are in Iraq to train Iraqi forces without Baghdad's approval??
Turkey shot down Russian bomber over Syria
- Thread starter RedFox
- Start date
This guy doesn't cease to amaze me! Are we supposed to believe that Turkish troops are in Iraq to train Iraqi forces without Baghdad's approval??
Windmill knight said:
Windmill knight,
That is a very good question I think. Why is Turkey really in Iraq? If you noticed the previous posts you might want to consider the possibility that Turkey is just interested in positioning itself to control the surviving factions in Iraq to control the both the Kurdish element (which has given it much to contend with such as the PKK) and as well as the growing Sunni opposition to IS in Iraq.
Here is a recent article on the possible strategy of Turkey:
Turkey sticks its neck out again, this time in Iraq
It looks like Turkey may be positioning for a possible waning of the IS strength in Mosul and want to have influence in a "new three-entity structure". It is the restructuring and dividing into "regions" that seems to be a main goal. It seems to be more complicated than the MSM presents to us. There are more factions of tribes and groups competing for their place in the conflicts than western minds are accustomed to considering. We are so dumb-ed down that gets to be annoying after awhile.
Could it be that IS can be controlled/adjusted easier than they would have us believe? After all who created IS? I think maybe the creation of predetermined "regions" is a main goal for the PTB. It also may be tied to the concept of a Greater Israel.
Erdogan may not be so permanent in the scheme of things. You may want to consider this odd fellow Gulen whom Erdogan is taking to court.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Secret Weapons Shipments To ISIS From Turkey Intercepted (Video)
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f55_1449853196
Turkey (a member of NATO) has been shown serving as a conduit for weapons and supplies smuggled to ISIS aka ISIL aka Daesh aka al-Queda terrorists for the overthrow of Syria.
Originally Published on Nov 26, 2015
The actual opening of the crates containing artillery shells etc. begins at about 13 minutes.
Turkish Army raid the Turkey’s national intelligence service (MIT) trucks
carrying weapons shipment destined for ISIS - Al-Qaeda in Syria Turkish border.
Turkish army and police then arrested the drivers of the Turkish National Intelligence Service (MIT).
Here's where it was taken, near the Syrian - Turkish border
https://goo.gl/maps/CEb3FJoseYt
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f55_1449853196
Turkey (a member of NATO) has been shown serving as a conduit for weapons and supplies smuggled to ISIS aka ISIL aka Daesh aka al-Queda terrorists for the overthrow of Syria.
Originally Published on Nov 26, 2015
The actual opening of the crates containing artillery shells etc. begins at about 13 minutes.
Turkish Army raid the Turkey’s national intelligence service (MIT) trucks
carrying weapons shipment destined for ISIS - Al-Qaeda in Syria Turkish border.
Turkish army and police then arrested the drivers of the Turkish National Intelligence Service (MIT).
Here's where it was taken, near the Syrian - Turkish border
https://goo.gl/maps/CEb3FJoseYt
angelburst29
The Living Force
Sistani Orders Turkey Out Of Iraq - Syria Oppo-Conference Fails
http://www.moonofalabama.org/
After the U.S. invasion of Iraq the U.S vice consul Paul Bremer tried to install a handpicked Iraqi government. The top Shia religious authority in Iraq, Grand Ajatollah Sistani, demanded a democratic vote. The issue was thereby decided. There was no way the U.S could have circumvented Sisitani's edict without a massive revolt by the 65% of Iraqis who are Shia and mostly follow his advice. Bremer had to fold.
Now Ajatollah Sistani takes position against the Turkish invasion of Iraq:
Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called on the government on Friday to show "no tolerance" of any infringement of the country's sovereignty, after Turkey deployed heavily armed troops to northern Iraq.
Sistani's spokesman, Sheikh Abdul Mehdi Karbala'i, did not explicitly name Turkey, but a row over the deployment has badly soured relations between Ankara and Baghdad, which denies having agreed to it.
...
"The Iraqi government is responsible for protecting Iraq's sovereignty and must not tolerate and side that infringes upon on it, whatever the justifications and necessities," Karbalai'i said in a weekly sermon.
The issue is thereby decided. Turkish troops will have to leave or will have to decisively defeat all Shia of Iraq (and Iran). If Erdogan were smart he would now order the Turkish troops stationed near Mosul to leave Iraq.
The Russian President Putin also increased pressure on Turkey:
President Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered Russia's armed forces to act in an "extremely tough way" in Syria to protect Russian forces striking Islamic State targets there. "Any targets threatening our (military) group or land infrastructure must be immediately destroyed," Putin said, speaking at a Defence Ministry event.
Note to Erdogan: Beware of funny ideas...
---
There was some Syrian opposition conference yesterday in Saudi Arabia were the Saudis tried to bribe everyone to agree on a common position. But the conference failed. Some 116 delegates took part under "international guidance" of their various sponsors. A spokesperson for the al-Qaeda aligned Ahrar al Sham, which closely cooperates with the al-Qaeda entity Jabhat al Nusra in Syria, also took part. No women were present.
The conference resulted in the decision to hold another conference. The 116 delegates at the conference decided to select 33 delegates for a conference which would decide on 15 delegates to confer and maybe take part in some negotiations with the Syrian government side. The NYT's Ben Hubbard, who was there, tweeted:
Ben Hubbard @NYTBen
...The meeting created yet another new opposition body, a high commission, meant to oversee negotiations.
There was debate about how large it should be and what proportion should represent armed groups. Final was 32, changed after meetings to 33.
Those 33 now tasked with choosing a 15 person negotiating team. So, yeah, umbrella groups making a new umbrella.
The political demands the conference agreed upon include non-starters for negotiations like the demand that the Syrian President Assad would leave within 6 weeks of the negotiations start. There was also this illuminating word game:
Islamist delegates objected to using the word “democracy” in the final statement, so the term “democratic mechanism” was used instead, according to a member of one such group who attended the meeting.
The Ahrar al-Sham delegate at the meeting signed the deal while the Ahrar al Sham bigwigs, who took not part, damned the deal and announced they were completely against it. They demand an Islamic State in Syria that would follow their militant Salafi line of believe. Hubbard again:
Ben Hubbard @NYTBen
Re: @Ahrar_Alsham2. It's main delegate did not walk out. Before meeting ended, members not present released statement announcing withdrawal.
The session's moderator said Ahrar delegate was not aware of statement by his group until later, but did sign the final communiqué.
Then Ahrar members like @aleesa71 and @a_azraeel complained on Twitter, suggesting a split between military and political leaders.
The Saudi and Qatari Wahhabi rulers want Ahrar al Sham to be part of any future solution in Syria. They hired "western" think tanks like Brookings Doha to propagandize that Ahrar is "moderate". But Ahrar can not be "moderate" when it is fighting together with al-Qaeda and kills civilians because they are "unbelievers". It is now in an uncomfortable position. If it takes part in a peace conference with the Syrian government its Jabhat al-Nusra ally will roast it, if it doesn't take part its Saudi and Qartari financiers will fry it.
Since the start of the war on Syria no unity has been achieved in the opposition of the Syrian government. The U.S., in form of the CIA head John Brennan, teamed up (again) with al-Qaeda while the State Department tried to sponsor more "moderates". The ensuing chaos continues today.
To prevent further blowback from this nonsense strategy will obviously require a change towards a position that supports the Syrian government. It is doubtful that the U.S. is capable of such foresight and flexibility.
Turkey Is Tanking - Lira Plunges Most In 6 Months; Stocks, Bonds Hammered
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-12-11/turkey-tanking-lira-plunges-most-6-months-stocks-bonds-hammered
While one could take their pick of bloodbathery today, Turkey seemed like an appropriate place to focus as its bond yields are exploding higher, currency collapsing, and stocks plunging to the lowest since March 2014. How long before Erdogan decrees all of this impossible and fires another 'dependent' central banker?
The Lira is plunging at its fastest in 6 months...
And Turkish bond yields are spiking across the entire complex...
Given Russian sanctions, it would appear Bilal is going to have to transport a lot more ISIS oil (allegedly) to keep the economic dream alive in Turkey.
http://www.moonofalabama.org/
After the U.S. invasion of Iraq the U.S vice consul Paul Bremer tried to install a handpicked Iraqi government. The top Shia religious authority in Iraq, Grand Ajatollah Sistani, demanded a democratic vote. The issue was thereby decided. There was no way the U.S could have circumvented Sisitani's edict without a massive revolt by the 65% of Iraqis who are Shia and mostly follow his advice. Bremer had to fold.
Now Ajatollah Sistani takes position against the Turkish invasion of Iraq:
Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called on the government on Friday to show "no tolerance" of any infringement of the country's sovereignty, after Turkey deployed heavily armed troops to northern Iraq.
Sistani's spokesman, Sheikh Abdul Mehdi Karbala'i, did not explicitly name Turkey, but a row over the deployment has badly soured relations between Ankara and Baghdad, which denies having agreed to it.
...
"The Iraqi government is responsible for protecting Iraq's sovereignty and must not tolerate and side that infringes upon on it, whatever the justifications and necessities," Karbalai'i said in a weekly sermon.
The issue is thereby decided. Turkish troops will have to leave or will have to decisively defeat all Shia of Iraq (and Iran). If Erdogan were smart he would now order the Turkish troops stationed near Mosul to leave Iraq.
The Russian President Putin also increased pressure on Turkey:
President Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered Russia's armed forces to act in an "extremely tough way" in Syria to protect Russian forces striking Islamic State targets there. "Any targets threatening our (military) group or land infrastructure must be immediately destroyed," Putin said, speaking at a Defence Ministry event.
Note to Erdogan: Beware of funny ideas...
---
There was some Syrian opposition conference yesterday in Saudi Arabia were the Saudis tried to bribe everyone to agree on a common position. But the conference failed. Some 116 delegates took part under "international guidance" of their various sponsors. A spokesperson for the al-Qaeda aligned Ahrar al Sham, which closely cooperates with the al-Qaeda entity Jabhat al Nusra in Syria, also took part. No women were present.
The conference resulted in the decision to hold another conference. The 116 delegates at the conference decided to select 33 delegates for a conference which would decide on 15 delegates to confer and maybe take part in some negotiations with the Syrian government side. The NYT's Ben Hubbard, who was there, tweeted:
Ben Hubbard @NYTBen
...The meeting created yet another new opposition body, a high commission, meant to oversee negotiations.
There was debate about how large it should be and what proportion should represent armed groups. Final was 32, changed after meetings to 33.
Those 33 now tasked with choosing a 15 person negotiating team. So, yeah, umbrella groups making a new umbrella.
The political demands the conference agreed upon include non-starters for negotiations like the demand that the Syrian President Assad would leave within 6 weeks of the negotiations start. There was also this illuminating word game:
Islamist delegates objected to using the word “democracy” in the final statement, so the term “democratic mechanism” was used instead, according to a member of one such group who attended the meeting.
The Ahrar al-Sham delegate at the meeting signed the deal while the Ahrar al Sham bigwigs, who took not part, damned the deal and announced they were completely against it. They demand an Islamic State in Syria that would follow their militant Salafi line of believe. Hubbard again:
Ben Hubbard @NYTBen
Re: @Ahrar_Alsham2. It's main delegate did not walk out. Before meeting ended, members not present released statement announcing withdrawal.
The session's moderator said Ahrar delegate was not aware of statement by his group until later, but did sign the final communiqué.
Then Ahrar members like @aleesa71 and @a_azraeel complained on Twitter, suggesting a split between military and political leaders.
The Saudi and Qatari Wahhabi rulers want Ahrar al Sham to be part of any future solution in Syria. They hired "western" think tanks like Brookings Doha to propagandize that Ahrar is "moderate". But Ahrar can not be "moderate" when it is fighting together with al-Qaeda and kills civilians because they are "unbelievers". It is now in an uncomfortable position. If it takes part in a peace conference with the Syrian government its Jabhat al-Nusra ally will roast it, if it doesn't take part its Saudi and Qartari financiers will fry it.
Since the start of the war on Syria no unity has been achieved in the opposition of the Syrian government. The U.S., in form of the CIA head John Brennan, teamed up (again) with al-Qaeda while the State Department tried to sponsor more "moderates". The ensuing chaos continues today.
To prevent further blowback from this nonsense strategy will obviously require a change towards a position that supports the Syrian government. It is doubtful that the U.S. is capable of such foresight and flexibility.
Turkey Is Tanking - Lira Plunges Most In 6 Months; Stocks, Bonds Hammered
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-12-11/turkey-tanking-lira-plunges-most-6-months-stocks-bonds-hammered
While one could take their pick of bloodbathery today, Turkey seemed like an appropriate place to focus as its bond yields are exploding higher, currency collapsing, and stocks plunging to the lowest since March 2014. How long before Erdogan decrees all of this impossible and fires another 'dependent' central banker?
The Lira is plunging at its fastest in 6 months...
And Turkish bond yields are spiking across the entire complex...
Given Russian sanctions, it would appear Bilal is going to have to transport a lot more ISIS oil (allegedly) to keep the economic dream alive in Turkey.
angelburst29
The Living Force
The United States was “doing business” on buying stolen oil from Daesh terrorists using Turkey as a middleman.
European MP Claims ‘US Doing Business on Daesh Oil’
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20151212/1031631675/european-mp-oil-daesh.html#ixzz3u6UlJf86
Janusz Korwin-Mikke said that the United States was “doing business” on buying stolen oil from Daesh terrorists using Turkey as a middleman.
“I have information from America. America is doing business. Turkey is buying oil from the Caliphate [Daesh] at half the price and America is showing a great deal of interest in this oil,” the European MEP emphasized, adding that this information had been confirmed by top government officials in Lebanon.
Janusz Korwin-Mikke also said that Russia should step in and “undo such schemes.”
Moscow has repeatedly stated that Ankara is the main consumer of illegal oil from Syria and Iraq, accusing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family of direct involvement in the oil business of the ISIL group, which is outlawed in Russia.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, ISIL earns around $2 billion annually selling oil from the occupied territories, spending these funds on hiring militants from around the world and equipping them with weapons.
Research Paper Shows How ISIS Exports Its Oil via Turkey With facts and figures to prove it
http://russia-insider.com/en/paper-isis-export-gateway-global-crude-oil-markets/ri11581
Two scientists published a paper which provides evidence that the IS oil business flows through Turkey. The paper with the title “IS Export Gateway to Global Crude Oil Markets” can be considered particularly legitimate as the authors avoid any kind of speculation or political hypothesis.
They state that they have no explicit proof that the Erdogan regime colludes in the IS oil trade. But this caveat is just the overture to a trustworthy representation of facts with which the two authors of the paper, George Kiourktsoglou and Alec Coutroubis, show what is really going on.
According to the paper IS is shipping its crude oil from the Turkish port of Ceyan near the town of Adena. The port of Ceyhan is just two driving hours away from the US Air-Force base in Incirlik. The oil terminal is run by a Turkish state-owned enterprise called Botas International Limited (BIL). The researchers discovered an interesting fact. Unlike the other Middle-East trade-routes the oil exports from Ceyhan showed unusual spikes in 2014 and 2015. These spikes always showed up when IS had to fight particularly fiercely for oil-assets in the area: the first spike corresponds with the capture of Syria’s largest oil field Al-Omar in 2014. The second spike ensued in November and December 2014 when bitter fights for the Jhar and Mahr oil and gas fields were rampaging. The third spike occurred in January and February 2015 as US air strikes were piling the pressure on IS in Hamija in the battle for the oil region of Kirkuk.
The researchers explain: “It seems that whenever the Islamic State is fighting in the vicinity of an area hosting oil assets, the exports from Ceyhan promptly spike. This may be attributed to an extra boost given to crude oil smuggling with the aim of immediately generating additional funds, badly needed for the supply of ammunition and military equipment.”
Russia’s president Vladimir Putin who unlike the researchers does not mince his words told state TV station RT that Russian reconnaissance led to the following finding: “Day and night you can watch trucks driving from IS controlled areas to Turkey. These trucks start fully loaded and return empty. Photos shot from reconnaissance jets clearly show vehicles transporting oil. The length of these convoys of trucks ranges beyond the horizon.”
The Russian Air Force initiated raids against these trucks because they want to cut the terrorists off from funding. The US have also attacked oil trucks in the past. But 45 minutes in advance of the strike the US dropped flyers “warning” truck drivers and recommending they get to safety. The US forces are claiming they know for sure that these truck drivers have nothing to do with IS. For Putin those who support IS financially are “accomplices” – and it is not difficult to guess that Putin meant the Turkish government. President Erdogan furiously rejected these allegations and demanded that Putin provide evidence for his assertion. We do not know whether Erdogan is familiar with this Greenwich paper. But we do know that his son Bilal controls several shipping lines. It is also known that Erdogan appointed his son-in-law as Turkey’s new Minister of Energy.
The paper with the title “IS Export Gateway to Global Crude Oil Markets” PDF
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) began to take over oil fields in late spring 2014. Since then, ISIS has expanded its operations by creating a loosely integrated and thriving black economy, consisting of approximately sixty percent of Syria's oil assets and seven oil producing assets in Iraq. The terrorist organisation has also managed to set up an extensive network of middlemen in neighbouring territories and countries, with the aim of trading crude oil for cash and in kind. Upon extraction, the commodity is first lightly refined on site and then a shadow supply-chain network takes over, to bring it to the market.
Are there any oil terminals in the South-East Mediterranean Sea used by ISIS and its shadow network as export gateways for smuggled crude? We answer this question by tapping into the proxy indicator of tanker charter rates. First, we look at the map for crude oil loading terminals that geographically fall within, or border the sphere of ISIS control. Second, for the ‘suspect’ terminals we take a closer look at the charter rates of tankers over a period of years, seeking to establish patterns. Third, looking for ‘suspect’ pattern-breaking charter rates, we narrow the time-frame down to the period from July 2014, when ISIS started off its smuggling operations, until mid-February 2015.
We conclude by offering remarks on the illicit trade, while providing insights into the criminal practices of ISIS.
1. Introduction: The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
ISIS is a terrorist organisation. It is based in the Middle East and its stated goal is to create a caliphate that will merge parts of Iraq, Syria and Lebanon into one Islamic state-entity. [...]
ISIS began to morph into a proto-state by taking advantage of Syria’s civil war. Its capital is Raqqa, located on the north bank of the Euphrates River about 160 kilometres east of Aleppo. [...]
The caliphate financially supports itself through extortion, crime syndication, hostage taking, trade of Syrian and Iraqi antiquities and donations. Additionally, it’s taking advantage of hefty cashflows generated through smuggling of crude oil (CNN 2015 a). The present study represents the effort of the authors to delve into the potential integration of ISIS smuggled crude within the global oil markets.
2. The Upstream Oil Business of ISIS
Contrary to the worldwide public belief that ISIS is just another group of bloodthirsty militants, the terrorist organisation represents the next evolutionary step of Islamic militant fundamentalism. Whereas Osama bin Laden’s brainchild, Al-Qaeda, still depends on international donors, ISIS managed to reactivate a long sleeping black market economy, mainly but not exclusively, over the territories it controls. At the very epicentre of this initiative lies the shadow network of crude oil smugglers that was initially set up three decades ago by Saddam Hussein, with the aim of working around the U.S. economic sanctions imposed on Iraq (Interview with Correspondent Y 2014 a). The outcome has been astonishing, Contrary to the worldwide public belief that ISIS is just another group of bloodthirsty militants, the terrorist organisation represents the next evolutionary step of Islamic militant fundamentalism. Whereas Osama bin Laden’s brainchild, Al-Qaeda, still depends on international donors, ISIS managed to reactivate a long sleeping black market economy, mainly but not exclusively, over the territories it controls. At the very epicentre of this initiative lies the shadow network of crude oil smugglers that was initially set up three decades ago by Saddam Hussein, with the aim of working around the U.S. economic sanctions imposed on Iraq (Interview with Correspondent Y 2014 a). The outcome has been astonishing, given that the Caliphate’s portfolio of assets now includes sixty percent of Syria's oil assets and seven oil producing assets in Iraq (Brookings 2014). At some point, immediately after the launch of its crude oil venture in summer 2014, ISIS achieved production of roughly 30,000 barrels of oil per day (CNN 2015 b). This rate has gone up, and in February 2015 reached the mark 45,000 b/d. This is a stonking statistic and it becomes almost baffling if one considers the fact that the commodity is being smuggled within a war zone.
An interesting point to be made is that extraction wells in the area of bombardments have yet to be targeted by the U.S. or the air-assets of its allies, a fact that can be readily attributed to the at times ‘toxic’ politics in the Middle East (New York Times 2014).
2.1 The Geography of ISIS oil portfolio and means of oil transportation
Within this vast territory, there are a number of oil fields whose control was lost by the Syrian central government soon after the break-out of the civil war. Most of these oil fields were assets in the portfolio of the Al-Furat Petrolum Company, a Royal Dutch Shell affiliate. The crude oil still produced in these oil fields is of fairly good quality, because it has low concentration in sulphur and as such, it can be easily processed. Once pumped to the surface, it is lightly refined either onsite in unelaborate facilities, or transported straightaway to Turkey on truck-lorries (World Policy Blog 2014).
The tradesmen/smugglers responsible for the transportation and sale of the black gold send convoys of up to thirty trucks to the extraction sites of the commodity. They settle their trades with ISIS on site, encouraged by customer friendly discounts and deferred payment schemes. In this way, crude leaves Islamic State-run wells promptly and travels through insurgent-held parts of Syria, Iraq and Turkey, while at the same time, the tradeflows cover local demand. ISIS also uses its oil wealth to shore up its local tribal support-base by strengthening commercial ties with tribes in the areas under its control. It actively urges its network to build stockpiles and allows Bedouins in the Deir al-Zor province to tap wells, such as the Bar al Milh, al Kharata, Amra, Okash, Wadi Jureib, Safeeh, Fahda and other extraction assets near Jebel Bushra. At least nine major tribes have benefited out of similar regional-friendly schemes, including Iraqi ones such as the influential Jabour tribe. As a rule of thumb, a large trailer carrying 30,000 litres of crude can make $4,000 profit in just one journey lasting a few days (Business Insider 2014). The result of this policy is soaring support for the caliphate.
As an extra measure of logistical support, the militant group allows convoys to pass more quickly through its checkpoints. Moreover, since allied U.S. air-raids do not target the truck lorries out of fear of provoking a backlash from locals, the transport operations are being run efficiently, taking place most of times in broad daylight. Traders lured by high profits are active in Syria (even in government-held territories), Iraq and south-east Turkey. According to Correspondent X (1st and 2nd Interview 2014), in Turkey and along the international route E90, ISIS managed to set up a string of trading hubs as depicted on Map II. European route E 90 is an A-Class West-East route, extending from Lisbon in Portugal in the west, to the Turkish-Iraqi border in the east. The supply chain comprises the following localities: Sanliura, Urfa, Hakkari, Siirt, Batman, Osmaniya, Gaziantep, Sirnak, Adana, Kahramarmaras, Adiyaman and Mardin.
The string of trading hubs ends up in Adana, home to the major tanker shipping port of Ceyhan.
3. The Port of Ceyhan (see Map III)
Ceyhan is a city in south-eastern Turkey. It is situated on the Ceyhan River which runs through the city and it is located 43 km east of Adana. Ceyhan is the transportation hub for Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Russian oil and natural gas (Municipality of Ceyhan 2015).
3.1 The Port Facilities (see Map IV)
The port of Ceyhan plays host to a marine oil terminal that is situated in the Turkish Mediterranean and has been operating since 2006. It receives hydrocarbons for further loading in tankers, which carry the commodity to world markets. The terminal is the export gateway for crude from offshore assets in the Caspian Sea transported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the new pipeline - commissioned in 2013 - coming from the Kurdish oil fields in Iraq. At times the terminal may also receive Iraqi crude via the Kirkuk – Ceyhan pipeline (SOMO Iraqi Oil Marketing Company 2015). The terminal covers an area of 144 hectares (1.44 sq. km) and houses a number of facilities (British Petroleum 2015). The latter include seven crude oil storage tanks - one million barrels each - with floating roofs, a crude export jetty - 2.6km in length - with two berths for simultaneous loading of two tankers of up to 300,000 deadweight tonnes each, a back-up system for monitoring and control of loading operations, six km of lines from oil storage tanks to tanker loading area, a Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) incineration plant, an onsite waste water treatment plant, and accommodation facilities for management, administration and staff. Additionally, the port features a cargo pier and an oil-terminal, both of 23.2m depth that can load tankers of more than 500 feet in length (Ports.com 2015). The annual export capacity of the terminal runs as high as 50 million tonnes of oil.
The terminal is operated by Botas International Limited (BIL), a Turkish state company that also operates the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline on the territory of Turkey.
3.2 Supply Statistics (volumes of crude exported via Ceyhan)
Based on the analysis in the previous paragraph 3.1, the supply of crude to the terminal in Ceyhan originates from three different sources (see Map V and Table I):
1. Offshore assets in the Caspian Sea, with crude exported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. In the third quarter 2014, these exports averaged 680,000 b/d (International Energy Association 2014 a);
2. Onshore assets in northern Iraq, controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), with crude exported independently of the federal Iraqi government via the KRG own regional pipeline, which was recently re-purposed to handle up to 550,000 b/d. In the third quarter 2014, these exports averaged approximately 200,000 b/d, with a very strong upward trend that ended up in December 2014 with quantities of more than 350,000 b/d. To the latter, one must add the quantities of crude exported by the federal Iraqi government via the same KRG pipeline. These quantities could average in the near future roughly 150,000 b/d, following the deal that was struck between the KRG and the federal government on the 2nd of December 2014 (International Energy Association 2014 b);
3. Onshore assets in northern Iraq, controlled by the federal Iraqi government, with crude exported via the federally-controlled pipeline to Ceyhan. In the past, Baghdad managed to ship up to 300,000 b/d from its northern fields, until its pipeline to Turkey was shut in early March 2014 due to repeated attacks by ISIS combatants. Since then, exports via this route have been intermittent (International Energy Association 2014 b).
Based on Table I, it becomes obvious that the quantities of crude oil that are being exported to the terminal in Ceyhan, exceed the mark of one million barrels per day. Putting this number into context and given that ISIS has never been able to trade daily more than 45,000 barrels of oil (see Section 2, ‘The Upstream Oil Business of ISIS’, page 2), it becomes evident that the detection of similar quantities of smuggled crude cannot take place through stock-accounting methods. However, the authors of the present paper believe that there is another proxy-indicator, far more sensitive to quantities of ultra-cheap smuggled crude. This is the charter rates for tankers loading at Ceyhan.
3.3 Tanker Charter Rates and Regression Analysis
The Baltic Exchange (2015 a) tracks the charter rates on major seaborne trading routes of crude oil. To render its service more efficient and easily understood, it uses the system of Baltic Dirty Tanker Indices (Baltic Exchange 2015 b). One of these indices used to be the BDTI TD 11, 80,000 Cross Mediterranean from Baniyas, Syria to Laveras, France (see Map VI). Route 11 was discontinued in September 2011, due to Syria’s civil war and soon thereafter, it was replaced by BDTI TD 19 (TD19-TCE_Calculation 2015), of exactly the same technical specifications as BDTI TD 11, with the exception of the loading port of Ceyhan instead of Baniyas.
For the Middle East, the BDTI system of Baltic Exchange also includes the following four major trading routes:
1. BDTI TD1: 280,000mt, Middle East Gulf to US Gulf (TD1-TCE_Calculation 2015);
2. BDTI TD2: 260,000mt, Middle East Gulf to Singapore;
3. BDTI TD3: 260,000mt, Middle East Gulf to Japan (TD3-TCE_Calculation
2015);
4. BDTI TD8: 80,000mt, Crude and/or DPP Heat 135F, Kuwait to Singapore
(TD8-TCE_Calculation 2015);
Since late 2002 and early 2003, when data on TD 11 became available, the Route has featured a strong correlation of 58% with the previous four major trading routes from the Middle East. (see Table II and Graph II).
After September 2011, when TD 19 (from Ceyhan/Turkey to Laveras) replaced TD 11 (from Baniyas/Syria to Laveras), the former ‘decoupled’ from the four major Middle Easttrading routes and its correlation with the latter fell to a meagre 22% (see Table III and Graph III).
However, from July 2014 when ISIS launched its crude oil venture, until February 2015, TD 19 ‘re-coupled’, up to a certain degree, with the four major Middle East trading routes, featuring this time a correlation of 34% (see Table IV and Graph IV).
3.4 Spikes of Charter Rates from Ceyhan and Timeline of ISIS Activities
From July 2014 until February 2015, the curve of TD 19 features three unusual spikes that do not match the trends featured by the rest of the Middle East trade-routes (see Graph IV):
i. The first spike develops from the 10th of July 2014 until the 21st, lasting approximately ten days. It coincides with the fall of Syria’s largest oil field, the Al-Omar, in the hands of ISIS (Reuters 2014);
ii. The second spike takes place from the end of October until the end of November 2014, lasting one month. It happens at the same time with fierce fighting between fundamentalists and the Syrian army over the control of the Jhar and Mahr gas fields, as well as the Hayyan gas company in the east of Homs province (International Business Times 2014; Albawada News 214);
iii. The third spike lasts from the end of January 2015 until the 10th of February, stretching roughly ten days. It happens simultaneously with a sustained US-led campaign of airstrikes pounding ISIS strongholds in and around the town of Hawija east of the oil-rich Kirkuk (Rudaw 2015);
4. Conclusions
The authors of this paper would like to make it clear from the very beginning that this has not been the case of a ‘smoking gun’. The evidence has been inconclusive. But even if volumes of ISIS crude found their way, beyond any reasonable doubt, to the international crude oil markets via the Ceyhan terminal, this fact would not conclusively point to collusion between the Turkish authorities and the shadow network of smugglers, let alone ISIS operatives.
However, having clarified such a politically sensitive issue, the authors believe that there are strong hints to an illicit supply chain that ships ISIS crude from Ceyhan. Primary research points to a considerably active shadow network of crude oil smugglers and traders (see section 2.1, page 3), who channel ISIS crude to southeast Turkey from northeast Syria and northwest Iraq. Given the existence of Route E 90, the corresponding transportation of oil poses no unsurmountable geographic and topological challenges.
Moreover, since the launch of the ISIS oil venture in summer 2014, tanker charter rates from Ceyhan re-coupled up to a degree with the ones from the rest of the Middle East (see section 3.3, page 11). This partial realignment may be attributed to additional Kurdish crude, whose export via Ceyhan coincided with the rise of ISIS and its oil business. Alternatively, it may be the result of boosted demand for ultra-cheap smuggled crude, available for loading from the same port. At this point the authors cannot be categorical. Nevertheless, primary research (Interview with Correspondent Y 2014 b) points to the latter scenario, while making clear that the same oil traders/shippers who used to ship oil from Baniyas, moved to Ceyhan, once Syria’s civil war brought all its seaborne trading activities to a grinding halt.
An additional manifestation of the invisible nexus between Ceyhan and ISIS became evident through the concurrent study of the tanker charter rates from the port and the timeline of the terrorists’ military engagements (see section 3.4 on this page). It seems that whenever the Islamic State is fighting in the vicinity of an area hosting oil assets, the exports from Ceyhan promptly spike. This may be attributed to an extra boost given to crude oil smuggling with the aim of immediately generating additional funds, badly needed for the supply of ammunition and military equipment. Unfortunately, in this case too, the authors cannot be categorical.
If there is a certainty within the context of this paper and given the clear and present danger of terrorism, it is the urgent need for further research. The focus should be on the criminal ventures of ISIS and particularly on those that can potentially integrate it within the global economy.
European MP Claims ‘US Doing Business on Daesh Oil’
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20151212/1031631675/european-mp-oil-daesh.html#ixzz3u6UlJf86
Janusz Korwin-Mikke said that the United States was “doing business” on buying stolen oil from Daesh terrorists using Turkey as a middleman.
“I have information from America. America is doing business. Turkey is buying oil from the Caliphate [Daesh] at half the price and America is showing a great deal of interest in this oil,” the European MEP emphasized, adding that this information had been confirmed by top government officials in Lebanon.
Janusz Korwin-Mikke also said that Russia should step in and “undo such schemes.”
Moscow has repeatedly stated that Ankara is the main consumer of illegal oil from Syria and Iraq, accusing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family of direct involvement in the oil business of the ISIL group, which is outlawed in Russia.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, ISIL earns around $2 billion annually selling oil from the occupied territories, spending these funds on hiring militants from around the world and equipping them with weapons.
Research Paper Shows How ISIS Exports Its Oil via Turkey With facts and figures to prove it
http://russia-insider.com/en/paper-isis-export-gateway-global-crude-oil-markets/ri11581
Two scientists published a paper which provides evidence that the IS oil business flows through Turkey. The paper with the title “IS Export Gateway to Global Crude Oil Markets” can be considered particularly legitimate as the authors avoid any kind of speculation or political hypothesis.
They state that they have no explicit proof that the Erdogan regime colludes in the IS oil trade. But this caveat is just the overture to a trustworthy representation of facts with which the two authors of the paper, George Kiourktsoglou and Alec Coutroubis, show what is really going on.
According to the paper IS is shipping its crude oil from the Turkish port of Ceyan near the town of Adena. The port of Ceyhan is just two driving hours away from the US Air-Force base in Incirlik. The oil terminal is run by a Turkish state-owned enterprise called Botas International Limited (BIL). The researchers discovered an interesting fact. Unlike the other Middle-East trade-routes the oil exports from Ceyhan showed unusual spikes in 2014 and 2015. These spikes always showed up when IS had to fight particularly fiercely for oil-assets in the area: the first spike corresponds with the capture of Syria’s largest oil field Al-Omar in 2014. The second spike ensued in November and December 2014 when bitter fights for the Jhar and Mahr oil and gas fields were rampaging. The third spike occurred in January and February 2015 as US air strikes were piling the pressure on IS in Hamija in the battle for the oil region of Kirkuk.
The researchers explain: “It seems that whenever the Islamic State is fighting in the vicinity of an area hosting oil assets, the exports from Ceyhan promptly spike. This may be attributed to an extra boost given to crude oil smuggling with the aim of immediately generating additional funds, badly needed for the supply of ammunition and military equipment.”
Russia’s president Vladimir Putin who unlike the researchers does not mince his words told state TV station RT that Russian reconnaissance led to the following finding: “Day and night you can watch trucks driving from IS controlled areas to Turkey. These trucks start fully loaded and return empty. Photos shot from reconnaissance jets clearly show vehicles transporting oil. The length of these convoys of trucks ranges beyond the horizon.”
The Russian Air Force initiated raids against these trucks because they want to cut the terrorists off from funding. The US have also attacked oil trucks in the past. But 45 minutes in advance of the strike the US dropped flyers “warning” truck drivers and recommending they get to safety. The US forces are claiming they know for sure that these truck drivers have nothing to do with IS. For Putin those who support IS financially are “accomplices” – and it is not difficult to guess that Putin meant the Turkish government. President Erdogan furiously rejected these allegations and demanded that Putin provide evidence for his assertion. We do not know whether Erdogan is familiar with this Greenwich paper. But we do know that his son Bilal controls several shipping lines. It is also known that Erdogan appointed his son-in-law as Turkey’s new Minister of Energy.
The paper with the title “IS Export Gateway to Global Crude Oil Markets” PDF
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) began to take over oil fields in late spring 2014. Since then, ISIS has expanded its operations by creating a loosely integrated and thriving black economy, consisting of approximately sixty percent of Syria's oil assets and seven oil producing assets in Iraq. The terrorist organisation has also managed to set up an extensive network of middlemen in neighbouring territories and countries, with the aim of trading crude oil for cash and in kind. Upon extraction, the commodity is first lightly refined on site and then a shadow supply-chain network takes over, to bring it to the market.
Are there any oil terminals in the South-East Mediterranean Sea used by ISIS and its shadow network as export gateways for smuggled crude? We answer this question by tapping into the proxy indicator of tanker charter rates. First, we look at the map for crude oil loading terminals that geographically fall within, or border the sphere of ISIS control. Second, for the ‘suspect’ terminals we take a closer look at the charter rates of tankers over a period of years, seeking to establish patterns. Third, looking for ‘suspect’ pattern-breaking charter rates, we narrow the time-frame down to the period from July 2014, when ISIS started off its smuggling operations, until mid-February 2015.
We conclude by offering remarks on the illicit trade, while providing insights into the criminal practices of ISIS.
1. Introduction: The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
ISIS is a terrorist organisation. It is based in the Middle East and its stated goal is to create a caliphate that will merge parts of Iraq, Syria and Lebanon into one Islamic state-entity. [...]
ISIS began to morph into a proto-state by taking advantage of Syria’s civil war. Its capital is Raqqa, located on the north bank of the Euphrates River about 160 kilometres east of Aleppo. [...]
The caliphate financially supports itself through extortion, crime syndication, hostage taking, trade of Syrian and Iraqi antiquities and donations. Additionally, it’s taking advantage of hefty cashflows generated through smuggling of crude oil (CNN 2015 a). The present study represents the effort of the authors to delve into the potential integration of ISIS smuggled crude within the global oil markets.
2. The Upstream Oil Business of ISIS
Contrary to the worldwide public belief that ISIS is just another group of bloodthirsty militants, the terrorist organisation represents the next evolutionary step of Islamic militant fundamentalism. Whereas Osama bin Laden’s brainchild, Al-Qaeda, still depends on international donors, ISIS managed to reactivate a long sleeping black market economy, mainly but not exclusively, over the territories it controls. At the very epicentre of this initiative lies the shadow network of crude oil smugglers that was initially set up three decades ago by Saddam Hussein, with the aim of working around the U.S. economic sanctions imposed on Iraq (Interview with Correspondent Y 2014 a). The outcome has been astonishing, Contrary to the worldwide public belief that ISIS is just another group of bloodthirsty militants, the terrorist organisation represents the next evolutionary step of Islamic militant fundamentalism. Whereas Osama bin Laden’s brainchild, Al-Qaeda, still depends on international donors, ISIS managed to reactivate a long sleeping black market economy, mainly but not exclusively, over the territories it controls. At the very epicentre of this initiative lies the shadow network of crude oil smugglers that was initially set up three decades ago by Saddam Hussein, with the aim of working around the U.S. economic sanctions imposed on Iraq (Interview with Correspondent Y 2014 a). The outcome has been astonishing, given that the Caliphate’s portfolio of assets now includes sixty percent of Syria's oil assets and seven oil producing assets in Iraq (Brookings 2014). At some point, immediately after the launch of its crude oil venture in summer 2014, ISIS achieved production of roughly 30,000 barrels of oil per day (CNN 2015 b). This rate has gone up, and in February 2015 reached the mark 45,000 b/d. This is a stonking statistic and it becomes almost baffling if one considers the fact that the commodity is being smuggled within a war zone.
An interesting point to be made is that extraction wells in the area of bombardments have yet to be targeted by the U.S. or the air-assets of its allies, a fact that can be readily attributed to the at times ‘toxic’ politics in the Middle East (New York Times 2014).
2.1 The Geography of ISIS oil portfolio and means of oil transportation
Within this vast territory, there are a number of oil fields whose control was lost by the Syrian central government soon after the break-out of the civil war. Most of these oil fields were assets in the portfolio of the Al-Furat Petrolum Company, a Royal Dutch Shell affiliate. The crude oil still produced in these oil fields is of fairly good quality, because it has low concentration in sulphur and as such, it can be easily processed. Once pumped to the surface, it is lightly refined either onsite in unelaborate facilities, or transported straightaway to Turkey on truck-lorries (World Policy Blog 2014).
The tradesmen/smugglers responsible for the transportation and sale of the black gold send convoys of up to thirty trucks to the extraction sites of the commodity. They settle their trades with ISIS on site, encouraged by customer friendly discounts and deferred payment schemes. In this way, crude leaves Islamic State-run wells promptly and travels through insurgent-held parts of Syria, Iraq and Turkey, while at the same time, the tradeflows cover local demand. ISIS also uses its oil wealth to shore up its local tribal support-base by strengthening commercial ties with tribes in the areas under its control. It actively urges its network to build stockpiles and allows Bedouins in the Deir al-Zor province to tap wells, such as the Bar al Milh, al Kharata, Amra, Okash, Wadi Jureib, Safeeh, Fahda and other extraction assets near Jebel Bushra. At least nine major tribes have benefited out of similar regional-friendly schemes, including Iraqi ones such as the influential Jabour tribe. As a rule of thumb, a large trailer carrying 30,000 litres of crude can make $4,000 profit in just one journey lasting a few days (Business Insider 2014). The result of this policy is soaring support for the caliphate.
As an extra measure of logistical support, the militant group allows convoys to pass more quickly through its checkpoints. Moreover, since allied U.S. air-raids do not target the truck lorries out of fear of provoking a backlash from locals, the transport operations are being run efficiently, taking place most of times in broad daylight. Traders lured by high profits are active in Syria (even in government-held territories), Iraq and south-east Turkey. According to Correspondent X (1st and 2nd Interview 2014), in Turkey and along the international route E90, ISIS managed to set up a string of trading hubs as depicted on Map II. European route E 90 is an A-Class West-East route, extending from Lisbon in Portugal in the west, to the Turkish-Iraqi border in the east. The supply chain comprises the following localities: Sanliura, Urfa, Hakkari, Siirt, Batman, Osmaniya, Gaziantep, Sirnak, Adana, Kahramarmaras, Adiyaman and Mardin.
The string of trading hubs ends up in Adana, home to the major tanker shipping port of Ceyhan.
3. The Port of Ceyhan (see Map III)
Ceyhan is a city in south-eastern Turkey. It is situated on the Ceyhan River which runs through the city and it is located 43 km east of Adana. Ceyhan is the transportation hub for Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Russian oil and natural gas (Municipality of Ceyhan 2015).
3.1 The Port Facilities (see Map IV)
The port of Ceyhan plays host to a marine oil terminal that is situated in the Turkish Mediterranean and has been operating since 2006. It receives hydrocarbons for further loading in tankers, which carry the commodity to world markets. The terminal is the export gateway for crude from offshore assets in the Caspian Sea transported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the new pipeline - commissioned in 2013 - coming from the Kurdish oil fields in Iraq. At times the terminal may also receive Iraqi crude via the Kirkuk – Ceyhan pipeline (SOMO Iraqi Oil Marketing Company 2015). The terminal covers an area of 144 hectares (1.44 sq. km) and houses a number of facilities (British Petroleum 2015). The latter include seven crude oil storage tanks - one million barrels each - with floating roofs, a crude export jetty - 2.6km in length - with two berths for simultaneous loading of two tankers of up to 300,000 deadweight tonnes each, a back-up system for monitoring and control of loading operations, six km of lines from oil storage tanks to tanker loading area, a Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) incineration plant, an onsite waste water treatment plant, and accommodation facilities for management, administration and staff. Additionally, the port features a cargo pier and an oil-terminal, both of 23.2m depth that can load tankers of more than 500 feet in length (Ports.com 2015). The annual export capacity of the terminal runs as high as 50 million tonnes of oil.
The terminal is operated by Botas International Limited (BIL), a Turkish state company that also operates the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline on the territory of Turkey.
3.2 Supply Statistics (volumes of crude exported via Ceyhan)
Based on the analysis in the previous paragraph 3.1, the supply of crude to the terminal in Ceyhan originates from three different sources (see Map V and Table I):
1. Offshore assets in the Caspian Sea, with crude exported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. In the third quarter 2014, these exports averaged 680,000 b/d (International Energy Association 2014 a);
2. Onshore assets in northern Iraq, controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), with crude exported independently of the federal Iraqi government via the KRG own regional pipeline, which was recently re-purposed to handle up to 550,000 b/d. In the third quarter 2014, these exports averaged approximately 200,000 b/d, with a very strong upward trend that ended up in December 2014 with quantities of more than 350,000 b/d. To the latter, one must add the quantities of crude exported by the federal Iraqi government via the same KRG pipeline. These quantities could average in the near future roughly 150,000 b/d, following the deal that was struck between the KRG and the federal government on the 2nd of December 2014 (International Energy Association 2014 b);
3. Onshore assets in northern Iraq, controlled by the federal Iraqi government, with crude exported via the federally-controlled pipeline to Ceyhan. In the past, Baghdad managed to ship up to 300,000 b/d from its northern fields, until its pipeline to Turkey was shut in early March 2014 due to repeated attacks by ISIS combatants. Since then, exports via this route have been intermittent (International Energy Association 2014 b).
Based on Table I, it becomes obvious that the quantities of crude oil that are being exported to the terminal in Ceyhan, exceed the mark of one million barrels per day. Putting this number into context and given that ISIS has never been able to trade daily more than 45,000 barrels of oil (see Section 2, ‘The Upstream Oil Business of ISIS’, page 2), it becomes evident that the detection of similar quantities of smuggled crude cannot take place through stock-accounting methods. However, the authors of the present paper believe that there is another proxy-indicator, far more sensitive to quantities of ultra-cheap smuggled crude. This is the charter rates for tankers loading at Ceyhan.
3.3 Tanker Charter Rates and Regression Analysis
The Baltic Exchange (2015 a) tracks the charter rates on major seaborne trading routes of crude oil. To render its service more efficient and easily understood, it uses the system of Baltic Dirty Tanker Indices (Baltic Exchange 2015 b). One of these indices used to be the BDTI TD 11, 80,000 Cross Mediterranean from Baniyas, Syria to Laveras, France (see Map VI). Route 11 was discontinued in September 2011, due to Syria’s civil war and soon thereafter, it was replaced by BDTI TD 19 (TD19-TCE_Calculation 2015), of exactly the same technical specifications as BDTI TD 11, with the exception of the loading port of Ceyhan instead of Baniyas.
For the Middle East, the BDTI system of Baltic Exchange also includes the following four major trading routes:
1. BDTI TD1: 280,000mt, Middle East Gulf to US Gulf (TD1-TCE_Calculation 2015);
2. BDTI TD2: 260,000mt, Middle East Gulf to Singapore;
3. BDTI TD3: 260,000mt, Middle East Gulf to Japan (TD3-TCE_Calculation
2015);
4. BDTI TD8: 80,000mt, Crude and/or DPP Heat 135F, Kuwait to Singapore
(TD8-TCE_Calculation 2015);
Since late 2002 and early 2003, when data on TD 11 became available, the Route has featured a strong correlation of 58% with the previous four major trading routes from the Middle East. (see Table II and Graph II).
After September 2011, when TD 19 (from Ceyhan/Turkey to Laveras) replaced TD 11 (from Baniyas/Syria to Laveras), the former ‘decoupled’ from the four major Middle Easttrading routes and its correlation with the latter fell to a meagre 22% (see Table III and Graph III).
However, from July 2014 when ISIS launched its crude oil venture, until February 2015, TD 19 ‘re-coupled’, up to a certain degree, with the four major Middle East trading routes, featuring this time a correlation of 34% (see Table IV and Graph IV).
3.4 Spikes of Charter Rates from Ceyhan and Timeline of ISIS Activities
From July 2014 until February 2015, the curve of TD 19 features three unusual spikes that do not match the trends featured by the rest of the Middle East trade-routes (see Graph IV):
i. The first spike develops from the 10th of July 2014 until the 21st, lasting approximately ten days. It coincides with the fall of Syria’s largest oil field, the Al-Omar, in the hands of ISIS (Reuters 2014);
ii. The second spike takes place from the end of October until the end of November 2014, lasting one month. It happens at the same time with fierce fighting between fundamentalists and the Syrian army over the control of the Jhar and Mahr gas fields, as well as the Hayyan gas company in the east of Homs province (International Business Times 2014; Albawada News 214);
iii. The third spike lasts from the end of January 2015 until the 10th of February, stretching roughly ten days. It happens simultaneously with a sustained US-led campaign of airstrikes pounding ISIS strongholds in and around the town of Hawija east of the oil-rich Kirkuk (Rudaw 2015);
4. Conclusions
The authors of this paper would like to make it clear from the very beginning that this has not been the case of a ‘smoking gun’. The evidence has been inconclusive. But even if volumes of ISIS crude found their way, beyond any reasonable doubt, to the international crude oil markets via the Ceyhan terminal, this fact would not conclusively point to collusion between the Turkish authorities and the shadow network of smugglers, let alone ISIS operatives.
However, having clarified such a politically sensitive issue, the authors believe that there are strong hints to an illicit supply chain that ships ISIS crude from Ceyhan. Primary research points to a considerably active shadow network of crude oil smugglers and traders (see section 2.1, page 3), who channel ISIS crude to southeast Turkey from northeast Syria and northwest Iraq. Given the existence of Route E 90, the corresponding transportation of oil poses no unsurmountable geographic and topological challenges.
Moreover, since the launch of the ISIS oil venture in summer 2014, tanker charter rates from Ceyhan re-coupled up to a degree with the ones from the rest of the Middle East (see section 3.3, page 11). This partial realignment may be attributed to additional Kurdish crude, whose export via Ceyhan coincided with the rise of ISIS and its oil business. Alternatively, it may be the result of boosted demand for ultra-cheap smuggled crude, available for loading from the same port. At this point the authors cannot be categorical. Nevertheless, primary research (Interview with Correspondent Y 2014 b) points to the latter scenario, while making clear that the same oil traders/shippers who used to ship oil from Baniyas, moved to Ceyhan, once Syria’s civil war brought all its seaborne trading activities to a grinding halt.
An additional manifestation of the invisible nexus between Ceyhan and ISIS became evident through the concurrent study of the tanker charter rates from the port and the timeline of the terrorists’ military engagements (see section 3.4 on this page). It seems that whenever the Islamic State is fighting in the vicinity of an area hosting oil assets, the exports from Ceyhan promptly spike. This may be attributed to an extra boost given to crude oil smuggling with the aim of immediately generating additional funds, badly needed for the supply of ammunition and military equipment. Unfortunately, in this case too, the authors cannot be categorical.
If there is a certainty within the context of this paper and given the clear and present danger of terrorism, it is the urgent need for further research. The focus should be on the criminal ventures of ISIS and particularly on those that can potentially integrate it within the global economy.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Israel mainly deals with the ISIS - Iraq crude oil business.
Israel Key Link in Exporting ISIS Oil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X06s9ay7SsQ
Published on Dec 9, 2015 16:03 minutes
Vijay Prashad says that ISIS oil is smuggled through Turkey to Israel and is a major source of ISIS funding.
Israel Key Link in Exporting ISIS Oil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X06s9ay7SsQ
Published on Dec 9, 2015 16:03 minutes
Vijay Prashad says that ISIS oil is smuggled through Turkey to Israel and is a major source of ISIS funding.
Scottie said:
Not electronic warfare, but it makes the point:
Safe Skies: Russian Army Could Soon Receive Newest S-500 Air Defense System
They were supposed to be delivered in 2017...
Meanwhile, the latest US "superboat" breaks down on its maiden sea voyage.
angelburst29
The Living Force
The Russian Defense Ministry has summoned a Turkish military attache in Moscow over an incident in the Aegean Sea, the ministry press service said Sunday.
Russian MoD Summons Turkish Military Attache Over Incident in Aegean Sea
http://sputniknews.com/military/20151213/1031680770/russian-mod-summons-aegean.html
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the crew of the Russian 'Smetlivy' frigate was forced to use firearms to prevent a collision with a Turkish seiner vessel 22 kilometers from the Greek island of Limnos in the northern part of the Aegean Sea on December 13.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov has urgently summoned a Turkish military envoy in Moscow following the incident.
The Russian frigate's morning crew spotted an approaching Turkish ship at a distance of approximately one kilometer. The seiner did not get on the air for radio contact with the Russian ship and did not respond to signal lamps or flairs.
While the Turkish vessel was nearing the Russian guard ship, firearms were used at a distance of about 600 meters to avoid the collision. Shots were fired beyond the hitting range of the firearms, the Russian Defense Ministry statement read.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, immediately after the shots were fired the Turkish fishing vessel changed its course and, without contacting the Russian crew, kept moving by the Smetlivy frigate at a distance of 540 meters.
Russia warns Turkey over Aegean warship incident
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-russia-turkey-idUSKBN0TW0EU20151213#jzjszUz5eoSTw0uO.97
Russia on Sunday warned Turkey to stop staging what it called provocations against its forces in or near Syria after one of its warships fired warning shots at a Turkish vessel in the Aegean to avoid a collision.
The Russian Defence Ministry said one of its warships, the destroyer Smetlivy, had been forced to fire the warning shots on Sunday morning and that it had summoned the Turkish military attache over the incident.
"The Turkish military diplomat was given a tough explanation about the potentially disastrous consequences from Ankara's reckless actions towards Russia's military contingent fighting against international terrorism in Syria," the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
In particular, our deep concerns about more Turkish provocations towards the Russian destroyer Smetlivy were conveyed."
Earlier on Sunday, the ministry said that the Turkish fishing vessel failed to respond to Smetlivy's warnings and changed course sharply only after shots were fired before passing within just over 500 meters of the warship.
"Only by luck was tragedy avoided," the ministry said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who was in Rome for talks on Libya, said Ankara was investigating the matter and would make a statement once it had more information.
He also reiterated Turkey's position that it wanted to resolve its difficulties with Russia. "We want to solve the tension with dialogue," he said, in comments broadcast by TRT Turk.
The incident is likely to heighten tensions between the two nations who are seriously at odds over Syria and the Turkish shooting down of a Russian military jet last month.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who called the downing of the plane a "stab in the back", has since imposed economic sanctions on Turkey as a retaliatory measure.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is a Tool of Western Propaganda
http://www.activistpost.com/2015/12/the-syrian-observatory-for-human-rights-is-a-tool-of-western-propaganda.html
Since Russia began military operations in Syria against the terrorist proxy forces of NATO and the Gulf states, ubiquitous reports in the Western media have emerged which claim that Russia has killed and targeted civilians. Yet a large proportion of these news organisations that apparently are at the pinnacle of journalism in the West, are publishing reports that are often based on one or two very dubious (to say the least) sources.
No photographs, videos or any actual evidence is provided in a lot of these articles. The presstitutes are so lazy these days they can’t even be bothered manufacturing fake evidence most of the time, they just cite a blog post from what may as well be some random guy on Twitter, and then quote a few Western politicians who want to oust Assad from power in Damascus; and they try and pass that off as professional news gathering. It’s truly a new low for Western mainstream journalism.
One of the most widely cited ‘organizations’ in the Western media pertaining to the Syrian conflict is the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). As Tony Cartalucci astutely noted back in 2012, in his article: West’s Syrian Narrative Based on “Guy in British Apartment”, the Western media portrays the SOHR as a group of impartial and highly skilled professionals who are based in Syria:
One would believe this to be a giant sprawling organization with hundreds of members working hard on the ground, documenting evidence in Syria with photographs and video, while coordinating with foreign press to transparently and objectively “observe” the “human rights” conditions in Syria, as well as demonstrate their methodologies. Surely that is the impression the Western media attempts to relay to its readers.
As usual, the reality of this so-called organization is the complete inversion of the way the mainstream media portrays it. The SOHR was founded in 2006 by the enigmatic Rami Abdulrahman (also spelled Abdurrahman, but his real name is Ossama Suleiman), who is also the director of the one-man group. He is the only individual publicly listed as working for the SOHR, with even The New York Times admitting in a 2013 article that the SOHR is “virtually a one-man band”.
[...] Blatant Propaganda!
Many of the allegations in the Western press that accuse the Russian government of killing civilians are solely based on this one unprofessional and biased source. The International Business Times (IBT) published an article on the 21st of October, titled: Russia in Syria: 370, including civilians killed in Russian airstrikes, says SOHR. The IBT article provides no second source, and merely says “according” to the SOHR.
NATO Not Capable of Beating Russia - US Media
http://sputniknews.com/military/20151213/1031666977/NATO-Not-Capable-Beating-Russia.html
Russia has a number of advantages that can ensure the country’s military forces will succeed in a hypothetical armed conflict, if it ever happens, American columnist Loren Thompson claims.
First of all, according to Thompson, NATO has neglected preparations necessary to meet high-tech threats.
“Fifteen years of fighting counter-insurgency warfare in Southwest Asia has left the Army well equipped to take down irregular forces such as ISIS [Daesh], but much less ready to fight an enemy armed with tanks, artillery and attack aircraft,” Thompson wrote.
Moreover, Russia would gain huge geographical advantages in potential conflict, the analyst added.
Russia, he went on, has a historical tendency to conduct warfare on land rather than at sea. Additionally, taking into account the quantity of armed forces deployed in the west of the country, Russia can, in a very short-term, assemble the required numbers of servicemen, Thompson underscored.
The author of the article also believes that NATO’s air support may, in fact, appear ineffective, as Russia has obtained mighty anti-aircraft defense systems.
“For instance, most of Polish air space is potentially within range of Russian air defenses,” Thompson pointed out.
Thompson concluded by stating that the capabilities of Russian weaponry are gradually growing.
“As the Russian military has become increasingly professionalized, it has introduced an array of advanced conventional weapons while America and its allies have under-invested in new technology.”
Russian MoD Summons Turkish Military Attache Over Incident in Aegean Sea
http://sputniknews.com/military/20151213/1031680770/russian-mod-summons-aegean.html
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the crew of the Russian 'Smetlivy' frigate was forced to use firearms to prevent a collision with a Turkish seiner vessel 22 kilometers from the Greek island of Limnos in the northern part of the Aegean Sea on December 13.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov has urgently summoned a Turkish military envoy in Moscow following the incident.
The Russian frigate's morning crew spotted an approaching Turkish ship at a distance of approximately one kilometer. The seiner did not get on the air for radio contact with the Russian ship and did not respond to signal lamps or flairs.
While the Turkish vessel was nearing the Russian guard ship, firearms were used at a distance of about 600 meters to avoid the collision. Shots were fired beyond the hitting range of the firearms, the Russian Defense Ministry statement read.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, immediately after the shots were fired the Turkish fishing vessel changed its course and, without contacting the Russian crew, kept moving by the Smetlivy frigate at a distance of 540 meters.
Russia warns Turkey over Aegean warship incident
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-russia-turkey-idUSKBN0TW0EU20151213#jzjszUz5eoSTw0uO.97
Russia on Sunday warned Turkey to stop staging what it called provocations against its forces in or near Syria after one of its warships fired warning shots at a Turkish vessel in the Aegean to avoid a collision.
The Russian Defence Ministry said one of its warships, the destroyer Smetlivy, had been forced to fire the warning shots on Sunday morning and that it had summoned the Turkish military attache over the incident.
"The Turkish military diplomat was given a tough explanation about the potentially disastrous consequences from Ankara's reckless actions towards Russia's military contingent fighting against international terrorism in Syria," the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
In particular, our deep concerns about more Turkish provocations towards the Russian destroyer Smetlivy were conveyed."
Earlier on Sunday, the ministry said that the Turkish fishing vessel failed to respond to Smetlivy's warnings and changed course sharply only after shots were fired before passing within just over 500 meters of the warship.
"Only by luck was tragedy avoided," the ministry said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who was in Rome for talks on Libya, said Ankara was investigating the matter and would make a statement once it had more information.
He also reiterated Turkey's position that it wanted to resolve its difficulties with Russia. "We want to solve the tension with dialogue," he said, in comments broadcast by TRT Turk.
The incident is likely to heighten tensions between the two nations who are seriously at odds over Syria and the Turkish shooting down of a Russian military jet last month.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who called the downing of the plane a "stab in the back", has since imposed economic sanctions on Turkey as a retaliatory measure.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is a Tool of Western Propaganda
http://www.activistpost.com/2015/12/the-syrian-observatory-for-human-rights-is-a-tool-of-western-propaganda.html
Since Russia began military operations in Syria against the terrorist proxy forces of NATO and the Gulf states, ubiquitous reports in the Western media have emerged which claim that Russia has killed and targeted civilians. Yet a large proportion of these news organisations that apparently are at the pinnacle of journalism in the West, are publishing reports that are often based on one or two very dubious (to say the least) sources.
No photographs, videos or any actual evidence is provided in a lot of these articles. The presstitutes are so lazy these days they can’t even be bothered manufacturing fake evidence most of the time, they just cite a blog post from what may as well be some random guy on Twitter, and then quote a few Western politicians who want to oust Assad from power in Damascus; and they try and pass that off as professional news gathering. It’s truly a new low for Western mainstream journalism.
One of the most widely cited ‘organizations’ in the Western media pertaining to the Syrian conflict is the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). As Tony Cartalucci astutely noted back in 2012, in his article: West’s Syrian Narrative Based on “Guy in British Apartment”, the Western media portrays the SOHR as a group of impartial and highly skilled professionals who are based in Syria:
One would believe this to be a giant sprawling organization with hundreds of members working hard on the ground, documenting evidence in Syria with photographs and video, while coordinating with foreign press to transparently and objectively “observe” the “human rights” conditions in Syria, as well as demonstrate their methodologies. Surely that is the impression the Western media attempts to relay to its readers.
As usual, the reality of this so-called organization is the complete inversion of the way the mainstream media portrays it. The SOHR was founded in 2006 by the enigmatic Rami Abdulrahman (also spelled Abdurrahman, but his real name is Ossama Suleiman), who is also the director of the one-man group. He is the only individual publicly listed as working for the SOHR, with even The New York Times admitting in a 2013 article that the SOHR is “virtually a one-man band”.
[...] Blatant Propaganda!
Many of the allegations in the Western press that accuse the Russian government of killing civilians are solely based on this one unprofessional and biased source. The International Business Times (IBT) published an article on the 21st of October, titled: Russia in Syria: 370, including civilians killed in Russian airstrikes, says SOHR. The IBT article provides no second source, and merely says “according” to the SOHR.
NATO Not Capable of Beating Russia - US Media
http://sputniknews.com/military/20151213/1031666977/NATO-Not-Capable-Beating-Russia.html
Russia has a number of advantages that can ensure the country’s military forces will succeed in a hypothetical armed conflict, if it ever happens, American columnist Loren Thompson claims.
First of all, according to Thompson, NATO has neglected preparations necessary to meet high-tech threats.
“Fifteen years of fighting counter-insurgency warfare in Southwest Asia has left the Army well equipped to take down irregular forces such as ISIS [Daesh], but much less ready to fight an enemy armed with tanks, artillery and attack aircraft,” Thompson wrote.
Moreover, Russia would gain huge geographical advantages in potential conflict, the analyst added.
Russia, he went on, has a historical tendency to conduct warfare on land rather than at sea. Additionally, taking into account the quantity of armed forces deployed in the west of the country, Russia can, in a very short-term, assemble the required numbers of servicemen, Thompson underscored.
The author of the article also believes that NATO’s air support may, in fact, appear ineffective, as Russia has obtained mighty anti-aircraft defense systems.
“For instance, most of Polish air space is potentially within range of Russian air defenses,” Thompson pointed out.
Thompson concluded by stating that the capabilities of Russian weaponry are gradually growing.
“As the Russian military has become increasingly professionalized, it has introduced an array of advanced conventional weapons while America and its allies have under-invested in new technology.”
angelburst29
The Living Force
Turkey says its patience with Russia 'has a limit': newspaper
http://news.yahoo.com/turkey-says-patience-russia-limit-newspaper-083822885.html
ROME (Reuters) - Turkey's foreign minister said Ankara's patience with Russia "has a limit" after Moscow's "exaggerated" reaction to a weekend naval incident between the two countries, an Italian newspaper reported on Monday.
A Russian destroyer fired warning shots at a Turkish vessel in the Aegean on Sunday to avoid a collision and summoned the Turkish military attache over the incident..
"Ours was only a fishing boat, it seems to me that the reaction of the Russian naval ship was exaggerated," Mevlut Cavusoglu told Italian daily Corriere della Sera in an interview.
"Russia and Turkey certainly have to re-establish the relations of trust that we have always had, but our patience has a limit," Cavusoglu said.
http://news.yahoo.com/turkey-says-patience-russia-limit-newspaper-083822885.html
ROME (Reuters) - Turkey's foreign minister said Ankara's patience with Russia "has a limit" after Moscow's "exaggerated" reaction to a weekend naval incident between the two countries, an Italian newspaper reported on Monday.
A Russian destroyer fired warning shots at a Turkish vessel in the Aegean on Sunday to avoid a collision and summoned the Turkish military attache over the incident..
"Ours was only a fishing boat, it seems to me that the reaction of the Russian naval ship was exaggerated," Mevlut Cavusoglu told Italian daily Corriere della Sera in an interview.
"Russia and Turkey certainly have to re-establish the relations of trust that we have always had, but our patience has a limit," Cavusoglu said.
The latest from Pepe:
NATO’s got a brand new (Syrian) bag
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/325845-natos-syrian-us-escobar/
and then we have this, as though living in an alternate reality :
'Russian pilots’ mistake shouldn’t affect bilateral relations' – Erdogan
https://www.rt.com/news/325843-erdogan-russian-pilots-mistake/
If this was a comedy, at least we could laugh about it - but unfortunately, this is the leader of the nation trying to provoke a war
!
NATO’s got a brand new (Syrian) bag
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/325845-natos-syrian-us-escobar/
and then we have this, as though living in an alternate reality :
'Russian pilots’ mistake shouldn’t affect bilateral relations' – Erdogan
https://www.rt.com/news/325843-erdogan-russian-pilots-mistake/
If this was a comedy, at least we could laugh about it - but unfortunately, this is the leader of the nation trying to provoke a war
!
Mr.Cyan said:<snip>
and then we have this, as though living in an alternate reality :
'Russian pilots’ mistake shouldn’t affect bilateral relations' – Erdogan
https://www.rt.com/news/325843-erdogan-russian-pilots-mistake/
If this was a comedy, at least we could laugh about it - but unfortunately, this is the leader of the nation trying to provoke a war
Well let's see what the black box reveals with regards to this alleged "negligence" on the part of the Russian pilots. Time will tell, and I'm sure Putin will have no qualms in exposing Turkey as they already have with selling illegal oil.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Turkey’s Erdogan is a loose cannon, a valued US imperial ally, part of NATO’s war agenda, increasingly risking direct confrontation with Russia.
US Using Turkey’s Erdogan to Provoke Confrontation with Russia?
http://www.globalresearch.ca/us-using-turkeys-erdogan-to-provoke-confrontation-with-russia/5495636
Washington likely orchestrated Turkey’s downing of Russia’s SU-24 bomber last month in Syrian airspace, a reckless act of war.
On December 11, Putin told participants at a Moscow Defense Ministry collegium:
“I order to act very tough. Any targets that threaten Russian forces or our infrastructure on the ground should be immediately destroyed.”
He warned “those who will again try to organize any provocations against our servicemen. We have already taken additional measures to ensure security of Russian servicemen and air base.”
“It was strengthened by new aviation groups and missile defense systems. Strike aircraft will now carry out operations under cover of fighter jets” armed with deadly accurate air-to-air missiles.
On Saturday, RT International reported Turkish opposition member Mahir Akkar urging Putin and Deputy Defense Minister Anotoly Antonov be criminally investigated for “insulting” and “defam(ing)” Erdogan.
RT quoted a Daily Sabah report, quoting him saying “we cannot turn a blind eye to defamation against our president or (other) officials.”
Putin, Antonov and other Russian officials support their accusations with well-documented hard facts.
On Friday, Ivanov provided clear evidence of
“(a) whole team of bandits and Turkish leadership (under Erdogan and his family involved) in illegal oil trade with ISIS.”
He presented “irrefutable facts to prove it.” Erdogan and top Turkish officials around him are international criminals, involved in “industrial-scale” theft of Syrian and Iraqi oil, complicit with ISIS – along with partnering with Obama to replace Assad with a pro-Western puppet.
On Sunday, Erdogan’s latest provocation involved a Turkish fishing vessel (or perhaps military ship disguised to look like one) sailing on a collision course with a Russian destroyer in the Aegean Sea.
Moscow’s Defense Ministry said its ship fired small arms warning shots in front of Turkey’s vessel after it didn’t respond to calls to change course – finally doing so when it came within about 540 meters of the destroyer.
It never made contact, clearly a state-sponsored provocation with likely more to come. Putin gave fair warning. He always means what he says. Russia’s military has orders to destroy any threats to its air, ground or sea forces.
Tensions between both countries remain high. They maintain military contact to avoid these type incidents. Antonov summoned Turkey’s Moscow-based military attache to explain what happened.
Erdogan would never provoke Russia militarily without Washington’s permission or complicity. Both nations are playing with fire.
Putin is a consummate peacemaker. At the same time, he’ll do whatever it takes to protect Russia’s homeland, its population and military forces.
Turkish forces withdraw from base in Northern Iraq
http://fortruss.blogspot.ca/2015/12/turkish-forces-withdraw-from-base-in.html
According to Iraqi MP, Salim Al-Shabaki, Turkish troops have withdrawn from the Zilkan base in Northern Iraq.
Turkish state media said it was what a military official source referred to as a “rearrangement”.
This comes just hours after Turkish president, Erdogan stated that he had no intentions to pull Turkish troops out of the region, and Baghdad insisted it was a breach of Iraqi sovereignty.
The developments are considered a triumph for Iraqi PM, Haider Al-Abadi, due to his perseverance in achieving a peaceful resolution with Ankara and Erbil.
The announcement for withdrawal was made at 5:00AM local time.
Israeli officials to Erdogan: Cut the bullshit!
Jerusalem dismisses Turkish president's hint at warmer ties only if Israel will remove Gaza blcokade, saying: 'We apologized and were ready to pay compensations to them, but Turkey knows that there is no siege in Gaza - The ball is in their court.':
Israel officially avoided issuing a response to Turkish President Erdogan's hint at warming ties on Monday, saying if the Turks wanted to normalize their relations relations with Jerusalem, then "the ball is in their court."
Officials in Jerusalem won't officially admit it, but they do enjoy watching Erdogan and the Turks sweat.
"We apologized and were ready to pay compensations. He should cut the crap about the removal of the Gaza siege, because Turkey knows that there is no such thing, and we are not about to pay more for normalization," officials in Jerusalem said.
Diplomatic officials said that ever since the breakout of tensions over the downing of the Russian jet by the Turks, it seems that Ankara wants to normalize relations with Israel, and is especially interested in the natural gas plan which will see Israel establishing a pipeline from their fields to Turkey and other places in the world.
Turkey, like some officials in Israel, thinks that a rare opportunity has presented itself to bring an end to the conflict between the two countries. The Turks are isolated; they have managed to alienate Syrian President Bashar Assad, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Egyptian President Fattah Abdel al-Sisi.
The Turks have been following the reports about Israel's growing ties with Greece and Cyprus over the natural gas plan with great concern. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to host a summit with his Greek and Cypriot counterparts next month, which will revolve around the natural gas plan, and the possibility of installing a pipeline which would lead gas from Israel through Cyprus and Greece and on to Europe.
The Turks understand that if they don’t act soon they will lose both Israel's natural gas and the ability to renew strategic ties with Jerusalem, Israeli officials said.
But much like a Turkish bazaar, the Turks don’t like giving out gifts for free and think that they can push Netanyahu into a corner. This after they received an apology from Israel in March of 2013 over the 2010 Mavi Marmara raid, which claimed the lives of 10 Turks, and may receive as much as $20 million in payments to the victims.
They are really trying to squeeze an Israeli statement out of the deal, which would have Jerusalem promise to end its blockade on Gaza. Officials in Jerusalem on their part say that the Turks can "forget about it."
In recent days, rumors have abounded that Netanyahu sent an envoy to Turkey in order to conduct negotiations aimed at normalizing ties. Word spread on Friday that Foreign Ministry Director-General Dore Gold had flown to Ankara to hold secret talks with the Turkish foreign minister. But this rumor was quickly discarded after Gold was spotted shopping for Shabbat in Jerusalem.
Both the prime minister's office and the Foreign Ministry denied that an envoy had been sent to Turkey, but Netanyahu himself said during a hearing on the natural gas plan in the Knesset that he intended to send envoys on his behalf to both Turkey and Egypt to discuss the deal.
Israeli and Turkish energy companies are pushing officials in both countries to take advantage of the opportunity and normalize relations.
There is an understanding on both sides that one of the major facets of the breakdown in ties between Russia and Turkey is energy. Russia is Turkey's biggest supplier of gas and has threatened to halt its flow. Turkey sees Israel as a reliable and available source of gas, and this is a rare chance to end the tensions once and for all.
Israeli businessmen who are involved in the dealings say that, "The Turks long to end the conflict with Israel and move forward on the gas issue."
Even the American administration has recognized the potential and urged Netanyahu and Erdogan to move towards a diplomatic resolution and strengthen relations.
US Using Turkey’s Erdogan to Provoke Confrontation with Russia?
http://www.globalresearch.ca/us-using-turkeys-erdogan-to-provoke-confrontation-with-russia/5495636
Washington likely orchestrated Turkey’s downing of Russia’s SU-24 bomber last month in Syrian airspace, a reckless act of war.
On December 11, Putin told participants at a Moscow Defense Ministry collegium:
“I order to act very tough. Any targets that threaten Russian forces or our infrastructure on the ground should be immediately destroyed.”
He warned “those who will again try to organize any provocations against our servicemen. We have already taken additional measures to ensure security of Russian servicemen and air base.”
“It was strengthened by new aviation groups and missile defense systems. Strike aircraft will now carry out operations under cover of fighter jets” armed with deadly accurate air-to-air missiles.
On Saturday, RT International reported Turkish opposition member Mahir Akkar urging Putin and Deputy Defense Minister Anotoly Antonov be criminally investigated for “insulting” and “defam(ing)” Erdogan.
RT quoted a Daily Sabah report, quoting him saying “we cannot turn a blind eye to defamation against our president or (other) officials.”
Putin, Antonov and other Russian officials support their accusations with well-documented hard facts.
On Friday, Ivanov provided clear evidence of
“(a) whole team of bandits and Turkish leadership (under Erdogan and his family involved) in illegal oil trade with ISIS.”
He presented “irrefutable facts to prove it.” Erdogan and top Turkish officials around him are international criminals, involved in “industrial-scale” theft of Syrian and Iraqi oil, complicit with ISIS – along with partnering with Obama to replace Assad with a pro-Western puppet.
On Sunday, Erdogan’s latest provocation involved a Turkish fishing vessel (or perhaps military ship disguised to look like one) sailing on a collision course with a Russian destroyer in the Aegean Sea.
Moscow’s Defense Ministry said its ship fired small arms warning shots in front of Turkey’s vessel after it didn’t respond to calls to change course – finally doing so when it came within about 540 meters of the destroyer.
It never made contact, clearly a state-sponsored provocation with likely more to come. Putin gave fair warning. He always means what he says. Russia’s military has orders to destroy any threats to its air, ground or sea forces.
Tensions between both countries remain high. They maintain military contact to avoid these type incidents. Antonov summoned Turkey’s Moscow-based military attache to explain what happened.
Erdogan would never provoke Russia militarily without Washington’s permission or complicity. Both nations are playing with fire.
Putin is a consummate peacemaker. At the same time, he’ll do whatever it takes to protect Russia’s homeland, its population and military forces.
Turkish forces withdraw from base in Northern Iraq
http://fortruss.blogspot.ca/2015/12/turkish-forces-withdraw-from-base-in.html
According to Iraqi MP, Salim Al-Shabaki, Turkish troops have withdrawn from the Zilkan base in Northern Iraq.
Turkish state media said it was what a military official source referred to as a “rearrangement”.
This comes just hours after Turkish president, Erdogan stated that he had no intentions to pull Turkish troops out of the region, and Baghdad insisted it was a breach of Iraqi sovereignty.
The developments are considered a triumph for Iraqi PM, Haider Al-Abadi, due to his perseverance in achieving a peaceful resolution with Ankara and Erbil.
The announcement for withdrawal was made at 5:00AM local time.
Israeli officials to Erdogan: Cut the bullshit!
Jerusalem dismisses Turkish president's hint at warmer ties only if Israel will remove Gaza blcokade, saying: 'We apologized and were ready to pay compensations to them, but Turkey knows that there is no siege in Gaza - The ball is in their court.':
Israel officially avoided issuing a response to Turkish President Erdogan's hint at warming ties on Monday, saying if the Turks wanted to normalize their relations relations with Jerusalem, then "the ball is in their court."
Officials in Jerusalem won't officially admit it, but they do enjoy watching Erdogan and the Turks sweat.
"We apologized and were ready to pay compensations. He should cut the crap about the removal of the Gaza siege, because Turkey knows that there is no such thing, and we are not about to pay more for normalization," officials in Jerusalem said.
Diplomatic officials said that ever since the breakout of tensions over the downing of the Russian jet by the Turks, it seems that Ankara wants to normalize relations with Israel, and is especially interested in the natural gas plan which will see Israel establishing a pipeline from their fields to Turkey and other places in the world.
Turkey, like some officials in Israel, thinks that a rare opportunity has presented itself to bring an end to the conflict between the two countries. The Turks are isolated; they have managed to alienate Syrian President Bashar Assad, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Egyptian President Fattah Abdel al-Sisi.
The Turks have been following the reports about Israel's growing ties with Greece and Cyprus over the natural gas plan with great concern. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to host a summit with his Greek and Cypriot counterparts next month, which will revolve around the natural gas plan, and the possibility of installing a pipeline which would lead gas from Israel through Cyprus and Greece and on to Europe.
The Turks understand that if they don’t act soon they will lose both Israel's natural gas and the ability to renew strategic ties with Jerusalem, Israeli officials said.
But much like a Turkish bazaar, the Turks don’t like giving out gifts for free and think that they can push Netanyahu into a corner. This after they received an apology from Israel in March of 2013 over the 2010 Mavi Marmara raid, which claimed the lives of 10 Turks, and may receive as much as $20 million in payments to the victims.
They are really trying to squeeze an Israeli statement out of the deal, which would have Jerusalem promise to end its blockade on Gaza. Officials in Jerusalem on their part say that the Turks can "forget about it."
In recent days, rumors have abounded that Netanyahu sent an envoy to Turkey in order to conduct negotiations aimed at normalizing ties. Word spread on Friday that Foreign Ministry Director-General Dore Gold had flown to Ankara to hold secret talks with the Turkish foreign minister. But this rumor was quickly discarded after Gold was spotted shopping for Shabbat in Jerusalem.
Both the prime minister's office and the Foreign Ministry denied that an envoy had been sent to Turkey, but Netanyahu himself said during a hearing on the natural gas plan in the Knesset that he intended to send envoys on his behalf to both Turkey and Egypt to discuss the deal.
Israeli and Turkish energy companies are pushing officials in both countries to take advantage of the opportunity and normalize relations.
There is an understanding on both sides that one of the major facets of the breakdown in ties between Russia and Turkey is energy. Russia is Turkey's biggest supplier of gas and has threatened to halt its flow. Turkey sees Israel as a reliable and available source of gas, and this is a rare chance to end the tensions once and for all.
Israeli businessmen who are involved in the dealings say that, "The Turks long to end the conflict with Israel and move forward on the gas issue."
Even the American administration has recognized the potential and urged Netanyahu and Erdogan to move towards a diplomatic resolution and strengthen relations.
angelburst29
The Living Force
According to reports, U.S. pilots in Syria have 'flown over oil tanker convoys 4 lanes wide at times and been told to stay silent'
Report: US Pilots in Syria Ordered to Ignore ISIS Oil Convoys
http://russia-insider.com/en/report-us-pilots-syria-ordered-ignore-isis-oil-convoys/ri11832
The U.S. is also using flying dinosaurs to 'target' ISIS.
American officials and responsible western news pundits have had a hard time explaining why the U.S.-led “anti-ISIS” coalition, after more than one year, has been unable to stop ISIS' lucrative oil smuggling operation. Maybe because they were never trying to stop it in the first place? Via New Eastern Outlook:
Reports from pilots and sources up and down the Pentagon chain of command tell an interesting story. Considering America’s years of experience at “precision bombing” and the vast intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities of the world’s largest military, America’s utter failure in curtailing ISIS and her dozens of “sister organizations” has been inexplicable.
American pilots flying over Iraq and Syria have quietly leaked their story for over a year now but no news agency will carry it. They say they have flown over oil tanker convoys 4 lanes wide at times and been told to stay silent.
They report mysterious aircraft dropping supplies to ISIS and al Nusra, they are silenced on that as well.
Hardly surprising. Add in the fact that the Pentagon consistently airdrops ISIS weapons and equipment “by accident”, and one begins to question how serious this “anti-ISIS coalition” really is.
If U.S. planes actually targeted ISIS oil convoys, they'd probably get shot down by Turkey.
State Dept Has No Plans to Present Data on Daesh Oil Trade in Turkey to UN
http://sputniknews.com/us/20151214/1031745993/state-dept-wont-provide-daesh-data.html
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States does not have any plans to present Treasury Department’s information to the UN Security Council related to the Islamic State (ISIL, or Daesh) oil trade in Turkey, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.
"I know of no such plans," Kirby stated on Monday when asked if the United States would present data on Daesh shipments of oil flowing into Turkey to the UN Security Council.
On Friday, US Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Adam Szubin called on Turkey to help stem the flow of financial assets across its porous borders, including Daesh black market oil.
Kirby argued that because some of the oil crosses the border into Turkey does not mean that Ankara is complicit in Daesh oil trade.
Earlier on Monday, Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin told RIA Novosti that the United States and Turkey should have notified the UN Security Council about Daesh smuggling oil over the Turkish border as stipulated in a UN resolution passed in February.
Report: US Pilots in Syria Ordered to Ignore ISIS Oil Convoys
http://russia-insider.com/en/report-us-pilots-syria-ordered-ignore-isis-oil-convoys/ri11832
The U.S. is also using flying dinosaurs to 'target' ISIS.
American officials and responsible western news pundits have had a hard time explaining why the U.S.-led “anti-ISIS” coalition, after more than one year, has been unable to stop ISIS' lucrative oil smuggling operation. Maybe because they were never trying to stop it in the first place? Via New Eastern Outlook:
Reports from pilots and sources up and down the Pentagon chain of command tell an interesting story. Considering America’s years of experience at “precision bombing” and the vast intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities of the world’s largest military, America’s utter failure in curtailing ISIS and her dozens of “sister organizations” has been inexplicable.
American pilots flying over Iraq and Syria have quietly leaked their story for over a year now but no news agency will carry it. They say they have flown over oil tanker convoys 4 lanes wide at times and been told to stay silent.
They report mysterious aircraft dropping supplies to ISIS and al Nusra, they are silenced on that as well.
Hardly surprising. Add in the fact that the Pentagon consistently airdrops ISIS weapons and equipment “by accident”, and one begins to question how serious this “anti-ISIS coalition” really is.
If U.S. planes actually targeted ISIS oil convoys, they'd probably get shot down by Turkey.
State Dept Has No Plans to Present Data on Daesh Oil Trade in Turkey to UN
http://sputniknews.com/us/20151214/1031745993/state-dept-wont-provide-daesh-data.html
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States does not have any plans to present Treasury Department’s information to the UN Security Council related to the Islamic State (ISIL, or Daesh) oil trade in Turkey, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.
"I know of no such plans," Kirby stated on Monday when asked if the United States would present data on Daesh shipments of oil flowing into Turkey to the UN Security Council.
On Friday, US Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Adam Szubin called on Turkey to help stem the flow of financial assets across its porous borders, including Daesh black market oil.
Kirby argued that because some of the oil crosses the border into Turkey does not mean that Ankara is complicit in Daesh oil trade.
Earlier on Monday, Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin told RIA Novosti that the United States and Turkey should have notified the UN Security Council about Daesh smuggling oil over the Turkish border as stipulated in a UN resolution passed in February.
