Most analysts would agree that the primary cash flow for ISIS runs through Turkey in the form of smuggled oil. In addition, most of their arms and fighters flow through Turkey.
While those factors could be explained by an ISIS utilization of the porous 565 Turkish-Syrian border, there have been a number of indications that Turkey has been actively supporting ISIS to further their own goals.
To answer the question of why Turkey would so blatantly put their neighbors and fellow NATO members at such risk, two primary reasons emerge:
First off is oil smuggling. BuzzFeed had a very good article looking into this trade with insider interviews on how the trade works. This Is How ISIS Smuggles Oil
As ISIS is estimated to make $1 million a day on smuggling oil, much of the vast middleman profits for this highly discounted oil goes to Turkey. This trade involves massive complicit border and police protection despite an alleged crackdown. However, famous Turkish whistleblower Fuat Avni has also claimed that Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is himself involved in the illegal trade.
Corruption is a major problem for Turkey (Why Turkey’s Mother of All Corruption Scandals Refuses to Go Away), especially in Erdogen's own party. Erdogen also recently built a 1,000 room Presidential palace (A Look at President Erdogan's Opulent $615 Million Palace, Four Times the Size of Versailles). An almost direct flaunting of the smuggled oil wealth profits.
The second main reason why Turkey would support ISIS is because of their fight with the Kurds. When Turkey announced that they were going to change course and attack ISIS, almost all of their targets were against PKK and other Kurdish areas and forces. The strikes that were carried out were claimed by some ISIS members to be against empty ISIS targets, and that their "alliance" with Turkey was still intact.
More direct military cooperation between Turkey and ISIS has long been claimed by many people in Turkey, Syria, and abroad.
Some of the examples of this alleged cooperation is as follows:
'ISIS Sees Turkey as Its Ally': Former Islamic State Member Reveals Turkish Army Cooperation
Suruç bombing reignites speculation of cozy ties between AK Party and ISIL
With one of the most major evidence of their cooperation being the June 25th ISIS attack on Kobane.
Turkey 'let Isil cross border to attack Kobane': as it happened
Long after the main fight for Kobane was over, a large group of ISIS fighters were allowed to cross the Turkish border for an attack on primarily returned Kurdish civilians in a way that was simply impossible to happen if Turkish forces had not allowed it to happen.
The question for this thread is, how can this Turkish support for ISIS be stopped.
I think that the EU, UN, NATO, and the US should put pressure on Turkey to resume peace talks that they broke off with the PKK, YPG, and other Kurdish forces. They should also require the use of UN inspectors and monitors to reduce ISIS oil smuggling profits through Turkey, and stop Turkey from smuggling arms to ISIS or the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Nursa.
While those factors could be explained by an ISIS utilization of the porous 565 Turkish-Syrian border, there have been a number of indications that Turkey has been actively supporting ISIS to further their own goals.
To answer the question of why Turkey would so blatantly put their neighbors and fellow NATO members at such risk, two primary reasons emerge:
First off is oil smuggling. BuzzFeed had a very good article looking into this trade with insider interviews on how the trade works. This Is How ISIS Smuggles Oil
As ISIS is estimated to make $1 million a day on smuggling oil, much of the vast middleman profits for this highly discounted oil goes to Turkey. This trade involves massive complicit border and police protection despite an alleged crackdown. However, famous Turkish whistleblower Fuat Avni has also claimed that Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is himself involved in the illegal trade.
Corruption is a major problem for Turkey (Why Turkey’s Mother of All Corruption Scandals Refuses to Go Away), especially in Erdogen's own party. Erdogen also recently built a 1,000 room Presidential palace (A Look at President Erdogan's Opulent $615 Million Palace, Four Times the Size of Versailles). An almost direct flaunting of the smuggled oil wealth profits.
The second main reason why Turkey would support ISIS is because of their fight with the Kurds. When Turkey announced that they were going to change course and attack ISIS, almost all of their targets were against PKK and other Kurdish areas and forces. The strikes that were carried out were claimed by some ISIS members to be against empty ISIS targets, and that their "alliance" with Turkey was still intact.
More direct military cooperation between Turkey and ISIS has long been claimed by many people in Turkey, Syria, and abroad.
Some of the examples of this alleged cooperation is as follows:
'ISIS Sees Turkey as Its Ally': Former Islamic State Member Reveals Turkish Army Cooperation
Suruç bombing reignites speculation of cozy ties between AK Party and ISIL
With one of the most major evidence of their cooperation being the June 25th ISIS attack on Kobane.
Turkey 'let Isil cross border to attack Kobane': as it happened
Long after the main fight for Kobane was over, a large group of ISIS fighters were allowed to cross the Turkish border for an attack on primarily returned Kurdish civilians in a way that was simply impossible to happen if Turkish forces had not allowed it to happen.
The question for this thread is, how can this Turkish support for ISIS be stopped.
I think that the EU, UN, NATO, and the US should put pressure on Turkey to resume peace talks that they broke off with the PKK, YPG, and other Kurdish forces. They should also require the use of UN inspectors and monitors to reduce ISIS oil smuggling profits through Turkey, and stop Turkey from smuggling arms to ISIS or the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Nursa.
via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/1lby3E6
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