All Turkish military actions are approved by or complicit with Washington. Erdogan would never act unilaterally on his own, not even aggressively against his own Kurdish population, slaughtering civilians in cold blood.
Originally appeared at Globalresearch
Does he intend a Syrian incursion, unprovoked aggression, if launched? Russian evidence suggests it, according to Defense Department spokesman General Igor Konashenkov, saying:
We have serious grounds to suspect intensive preparations by Turkey for a military invasion on the territory of the sovereign state of Syria. We are recording more and more signs of concealed preparations by the Turkish military.
Days earlier, Russian video evidence revealed cross-border Turkish shelling on northern Latakiaprovince Syrian populated areas.
US-led NATO officials “and numerous organizations allegedly protecting human rights in Syria, despite our call to respond to these actions, still remain silent,” despite irrefutable evidence of Turkish aggression, along with supporting ISIS and other terrorist groups, Konashenkov explained.
Turkey wants evidence of its illegal military activities along the Syrian border suppressed. It denied a Russian observation flight over its territory, scheduled from February 1 – 5, permitted under the Open Skies Treaty (OST), up to a range of 1,900 km, with Turkish specialists onboard, after earlier expressing no pre-conditions or restrictions.
In 1992, 34 nations signed OST, effective in 2002, including Russia, America, Turkey, EU countries and Canada. Treaty objectives are to foster transparency, monitor fulfillment of arms control agreements, and improve capabilities to prevent crises.
Konashenkov called denying Russia’s legitimate right to conduct an observation flight over Turkish territory according to OST provisions “a dangerous precedent and an attempt to conceal illegal military activity near the border with Syria.”
Russian satellite and other intelligence can keep close watch on what Erdogan may intend, including possible cross-border belligerence against Syria.
In 2015, 32 foreign observation flights over Russian territory took place, according to OST principles, four by Turkey.
If Erdogan intends aggression against northern Syria, Russian intelligence will prove it. Key is how Putin and Assad respond.
Neither leader wants greater war than already, nor will they tolerate naked aggression, threatening their national security.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
http://www.claritypress.com/
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
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TAKE RAQQA BATTLEPLAN by Supreme Allied Condista http://supremealliedcondista.newsvine.com/_news/2015/08/13/33784359-take-raqqa-battleplan
This is my political and military plan to put the squeeze on the so-called “Islamic State” / ISIS / ISIL / Daesh operational capital at Raqqa, Syria.
1) The Turkish army invades Syria with an armoured column west and south of the Euphrates and attacks Raqqa from the south, also blocking the east and west routes to Raqqa.
I published that battleplan back in August 13, 2015, 6 months ago.
I was hoping for a rapid reaction, led by NATO, to take Raqqa, which could and should have been liberated by now.
So the fact that we are only at “suspicions of preparations of an incursion” is disappointingly slow progress, I must say.
Nevertheless if the Turks are finally up for sending their army in to Syria and are ready to accept NATO assistance with overall command and control, defence of airspace over their ground forces, advance their army towards objectives NATO wants taken – with a view in particular to take Raqqa, targeting all ISIS forces on the way, but not picking any fights with NATO allies – Kurds and Syrian Democratic Forces – rather coordinating with them where necessary – then it is good news, at last and then NATO ought to take this Turkish invasion under our wing and make it a success.
In which case there would need to be some high level diplomacy between NATO and Russia to ensure our forces do not conflict with each other in a confused war-zone.
If it is not that. If instead it is some Turkish raid to go after Kurds, well that will not be welcome at all and NATO should oppose such an anti-Kurd raid.
I’m in the dark as to what’s actually going on behind Turkish lines as much as the Russians are. So this is more me saying what I hope will happen, not that I know what will happen.
Supreme Allied Condista http://supremealliedcondista.newsvine.com/
You have no idea how much the turks prefer ISIS to Kurdish Rojava
Not all Turks are as bad as Erdogan.
Take a look at the Turkish People’s Democratic Party, the HDP. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peoples%27_Democratic_Party_(Turkey) https://hdpenglish.wordpress.com/
So if I was advising Condoleezza Rice as NATO Secretary General, I would be saying to her that NATO needs to be building bridges to the Turkish opposition parties, not restricting ourselves to dealing through Erdogan only, to see how we can help all of the people of Turkey with the political problem which Erdogan’s poor leadership is sticking the Turks with right now.
For example, NATO ought to be able to help Turkish opposition parties with TV satellite facilities to help them communicate with the people of Turkey, help them provide that better leadership which is missing under Erdogan rule.