You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
The Grand Turk
No arms to civilians fighting ISIL - Turkish FM
2014-10-13
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavushoglu warned that arming civilians to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) would be criminal, Anadolu Agency reported referring to France 24.
Best just to let all the civilians die, especially if they're Kurds...
Cavushoglu defended his government's position with respect to the battle at the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab, just a few kilometers across the Turkish border.

Cavushoglu said: "Sending civilians to the war is a crime. We cannot risk the lives of these people. We don't want another tragedy in our region."
Their lives are already being risked. The ISIL wants them dead. Apparently, so do the Turks...
Referring to the refugees who have fled to Turkey from Kobani, he said: "I also don’t think those civilians prefer to go back."

On Friday, UN envoy Staffan de Mistura had called on Turkey to allow Kurds to cross back into Syria to defend Kobani.

"We would like to appeal to the Turkish authorities in order to allow the flow of volunteers at least, and their equipment to be able to enter the city to contribute to a self-defense operation," de Mistura told reporters in Geneva.

Almost 200,000 people have fled the fighting in Kobani into Turkey since the conflict began last September. They have been driven out by the relentless advance of the ISIL militant group, which currently controls large areas in Syria and Iraq, and which now reportedly controls three districts of the border town.

He stated that airstrikes were a "failure and insufficient" to stop ISIL. A US-led airstrike campaign was launched against ISIL targets in Iraq on August 9, with the support of France, the U.K. and Belgium, along with that of Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E.
Now, now, both our missions succeeded in blowing up a truck. It's the very measure of success...
Asked if Turkey should intervene with a ground operation, Cavusoglu said: "It is not fair asking Turkey to lead a ground operation on its own. It is not realistic. Without the establishment of a safe zone and a no-fly zone, it is also not very realistic."
Turkey has an air force. The ISIL doesn't. What's the problem with Turkey establishing a no-fly zone?
Turkey has made its alliance with the U.S.-led coalition conditional on the establishment of a no-fly zone and for the creation of safe zone at the Syrian border. The Turkish parliament voted last week to approve a conditional Turkish military action in Syria and Iraq.

Cavushoglu underlined the importance of having a joint and comprehensive strategy with the coalition. "If there is a joint strategy, Turkey will seriously consider the execution of this strategy with allies and with friendly countries."

He also spoke of the "solution process," the Turkish government's efforts to end a decades-old conflict with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey as well as by the U.S. and the EU.

"We can never give up this process. We want to achieve more. We are sincerely making a great efforts but the others will do what they feel they must do.

"The PKK is still a terrorist group for us. Not only for us, they are in the terror list of the European Union and the United Nations. They still have not laid their weapons down. They are still active. They continue their terrorist activities."
Posted by:Steve White

#11  ARISE, ISLAMIC MAHDI/HIDDEN IMAM + "NEO-OTTOMAN" UCLEAR TURKEY, ARISE!

SSSHHHH ... ... CCCCCC 2030-2050.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2014-10-13 23:12  

#10  I was wondering if or could the Kurds do that.

In fact, I was wondering if the Turks would take VIP Kurds on a little walk, politely pointing out that the Turk artillary is pointing towards Kobani, and the tanks are pointed towards Turkey.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2014-10-13 16:30  

#9  No arms to civilians fighting ISIL - Turkish FM

OK, We'll just arm the Kurds in Turkey, and let them shoot their way past the Turks.
Posted by: OldSpook   2014-10-13 16:21  

#8  No arms to civilians fighting ISIL - Turkish FM

The Bloomberg strategy?
Posted by: Procopius2k   2014-10-13 16:08  

#7  Turkey will always be a turkey. Sour feelings for Turkey still linger for not letting US troops in during Iraq 2003. Erdogan is an enemy of the western civilization.
Posted by: Galactic Coordinator Jinemble5612   2014-10-13 13:43  

#6  If ISIS fails to take Kobane expect even more hatred between the Kurds and the Turks for refusing to assist the Kurdish people against ISIS. Could be a major Turkish strategic failure in the region in regards to peace between Turkey and the Kurds.
Posted by: Ebbomosh Hupemp2664   2014-10-13 12:57  

#5  "Arming civilians is a crime" , what about all the jihadist using turkey as a hub too go too syria.
Maybe they shoulx be put on the terrorist state list
Posted by: chris   2014-10-13 12:47  

#4  Sounds like we need to start flying drones over Ankara.
Posted by: AlanC   2014-10-13 12:34  

#3  Aha! See NYTimes article below which reports:
"The basing and training agreement follows two days of talks in Ankara, the Turkish capital, between the authorities there and John R. Allen, the retired American general who is coordinating the coalition’s response to the Islamic State. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who has been traveling in South America, has said the United States has sought access to Turkish air bases, including one at Incirlik in southern Turkey."
Seeking access to Incirlik means that recently the US pulled out of a base where the US presence was seen for decades. It also indicated that the US drone operation that was active there until most recently has been moved to Irbil.
This begs the question, why should we return to a sometime ally? Turky PM Erdogan puts one in mind of our old "ally" Sihanouk of Cambodia.
Posted by: Beldar Sloque3832   2014-10-13 10:02  

#2  I believe (and please correct me if I am wrong) that the US remains at only the Incirlik base in southwestern Turkey. It was home to a drone base that reportedly was being moved to the airstrip at Irbil (which is now crawling with spooks). It is time to pull the plug on Turkey. It has not been a reliable ally in years, and its prime minister is presently working hard to see to it that an Assad government is one day replaced by a government run by Muslim Brothers.
Posted by: Beldar Sloque3832   2014-10-13 09:33  

#1  Turkey has made its alliance with the U.S.-led coalition conditional ... Are they or are they not in NATO and a official ally of the USA? What's this conditional bullshit?
Posted by: 3dc   2014-10-13 01:50  

00:00