Turkey moves 20 tanks to its border and sends 18 fighter jets on patrol as Russia crisis continues

[magical thyme]

Source: Mirror

Turkey has moved 20 tanks to its border with Syria as tensions with Russia continue.

Military sources from Turkey said the tanks were moved by rail to an armored brigade at its western border with Syria.

Reports also say 18 fighter jets were sent on a patrol exercise near the border.

A military source told Turkey’s Anadolu agency: "Accompanied by police and gendarmes, 20 tanks were sent by rail from Turkey’s western provinces by railway to Gaziantep in the south of the country, and then redirected to the Syrian border."


Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/turkey-moves-20-tanks-border-6903087

[Depaysement]

1. If true

It's a trip wire. 20 tanks is less than a combined armed battalion in the US.

[Demeter]

2. Erdogan the madman will go down as the one who started WWIII

Last edited Thu Nov 26, 2015, 07:07 PM - Edit history (1)

[ctsnowman]

4. looking that way

[cstanleytech]

14. Doubt it, they are more likely a show of force for the people so that they dont think Ergodan

is weak but they arent strong enough to really do much dmg to the Russian troops so they will probably be placed on the border for a few month until this story blows over and the people of Turkey are distracted by something else.

[harun]

3. NATO Should green light Turkey to take Syria.

Refugee problem solved. ISIS problem solved.

[daleo]

5. If by solved you mean escalated

Then, sure.

[joshcryer]

6. Would have to wait for the next NATO summit.

Something like that wouldn't happen without everyone being on board.

Oh and Turkey would have to be willing to basically go it alone (with maybe France and the US's help).

Turkey would also need the assistance of the Kurds, which it might have with Iraqi Kurds (enemy of my enemy), but Turkish Kurds would not be very happy about Turkey expanding like that.

Odds are near zero this actually happens, I'm just playing devils advocate.

[harun]

11. I'd say near zero as well, but...

I think what is going on there now is essentially that, just the under the table version of it. You have the Saudi's, the U.S. and Turkey propping up those who are essentially trying to take out Assad. Russia and Iran propping up Assad.

It's a proxy war: US, Saudi and Turkey vs. Russia, Iran and Syria.

[joshcryer]

17. The complexities are enormous.

For instance, just look at the Kurds. Turkey and Iran against, Iraq for. (The Kurdish state in Iraq defacto exists, the Kurds in Iran and Turkey are not allowed to have their own region that isn't suppressed by either state.) Oh and in Syria the Kurds are just a wall of bodies to fend off the Turkmen.

But Turkey is against Assad and Syria is for Assad and Iraq just wants to live in peace.

Then you got ISIS, ISIS is against Assad when Turkey and the US leaves them alone, but for Assad when Russia is bombing the rebels and the US and Turkey (and France) are attacking them.

It's basically the ultimate every man for themselves gain and no one wins.

[harun]

23. Battle Royale. That's a lot of interests, money and weapons. Won't end well.

[magical thyme]

7. Ergodan, who's son is involved in buying ISIS crude?

The reason we find this line of questioning fascinating is that just last week in the aftermath of the French terror attack but long before the Turkish downing of the Russian jet, we wrote about "The Most Important Question About ISIS That Nobody Is Asking" in which we asked who is the one "breaching every known law of funding terrorism when buying ISIS crude, almost certainly with the tacit approval by various "western alliance" governments, and why is it that these governments have allowed said middleman to continue funding ISIS for as long as it has?"

And while we patiently dig to find who the on and offshore "commodity trading" middleman are, who cart away ISIS oil to European and other international markets in exchange for hundreds of millions of dollars, one name keeps popping up as the primary culprit of regional demand for the Islamic State's "terrorist oil" - that of Turkish president Recep Erdogan's son: Bilal Erdogan.

In the next few days, we will present a full breakdown of Bilal's various business ventures, starting with his BMZ Group which is the name implicated most often in the smuggling of illegal Iraqi and Islamic State through to the western supply chain, but for now here is a brief, if very disturbing snapshot, of both father and son Erdogan by F. William Engdahl, one which should make everyone ask whether the son of Turkey's president (and thus, the father) is the silent mastermind who has been responsible for converting millions of barrels of Syrian Oil into hundreds of millions of dollars of Islamic State revenue.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-11-25/meet-man-who-funds-isis-bilal-erdogan-son-turkeys-president

[ozone_man]

13. I'm sure the U.S. knows this.

Looking the other way as Turkey funds the enemy of our enemy. I think this is coming out finally from credible sourcs like Wesley Clark.

[Jesus Malverde]

22. Our supposed enemy.

It's a wicked game.

[CJCRANE]

26. The people in Paris would say that Isis are our enemy

rather than the enemy of our enemy, if you know what I mean.

[ozone_man]

30. Yes, I hope they demand some answers.

How unfortunate that it takes ISIS landing on your door step to ask who enables them, who supports them, who buys oil from them, who looks the other way.

[Baclava]

8. Turkey invades Syria and you have an all-out war with Russia. WWIII, Problem solved?

I can't believe nobody has taken out Assad yet.

[joshcryer]

9. Russia would invade Syria but not Turkey.

So no WWIII. But it is a stupendously silly idea. Putin would love to be able to actually put ground troops to any significant capacity in Syria. As it stands now his hands are tied.

[Cayenne]

21. Putin is likely preparing an invasion force now

He called up a draft for 150,000.

[riderinthestorm]

27. Pray tell why, and by whom, are Putins hands tied?

He's been pretty upfront nobody ties Russian hands

[joshcryer]

28. On massive ground troops in Syria.

He could end the civil war in a year or so but he doesn't want to actually invade Syria because it would cost thousands of Russian troop lives. It'd be his Iraq.

If Turkey were to invade Syria he could do it though.

[roamer65]

15. Iran won't let that happen. They will come across Iraq and invade. N/t

[davepc]

24. Turkeys Kurdish "problem" will get worse.

Turkeys only aim here is too keep Iraqi Kurdistan bogged down and under threat so Kurds living in eastern Turkey don't get any ideas about building a new Kurdish state out of Turkish territory with their friends in Iraq.

[doxyluv13]

29. what makes you think Turkey wants to defeat Isis?

They don't.

[w0nderer]

10. recommend and kick N/T

[davidthegnome]

12. Hmm.

The Turkish military is no joke... but compared to Russia? They may as well not even bother. What I keep wondering about, is why Putin is deliberately instigating this.

[cstanleytech]

16. Well most likely it involves alot of money. How?

If he can get Iran and Iraq on board as well as Syria with a pipeline to sale them gas that is a shit ton of money he can earn.

[CJCRANE]

25. Putin is not instigating it. Russia bombed 1000 Isis oil tankers

which the Turkish govt didn't like because one of their top guys makes a lot of money from the illicit oil trade.

[lovuian]

18. Sibel Edmunds

http://www.alternet.org/story/19237/turkey%2C_drugs%2C_faustian_alliances_and_sibel_edmonds

In 1998, the US Department of State (DOS) was finally forced to admit that Turkey was a major refining and transit point for the flow of heroin from Southwest Asia to Western Europe, with small quantities of the stuff finding its way to the streets of the USA. In that same year, Kendal Nezan, writing for Le Monde Diplomatique, reported that MIT, and the Turkish National Police force were actively supporting the trade in illicit drugs not only for fun and profit, but out of desperation.

Then in 1999 came a news item from a publication known as the Foreign Report based in the United Kingdom. That publication indicated that "Israeli intelligence, the Mossad, had expanded its base in Turkey and opened branches in Turkey for other two departments stationed in Tel Aviv. The Mossad carried out several spy operations and plans through its elements stationed in Istanbul and Ankara, where it received support and full cooperation from the Turkish government. According to the military cooperation agreement between the Mossad and its Turkish counterpart, the MIT, signed by former Turkish Foreign Minister Hekmet Citen during his visit to Israel in 1993, the Mossad had provided Turkey with plans aiding it in closing its border with Iraq, as well as being involved in the arrest the chairman of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan." That agreement also included help with counter-narcotics.

[inanna]

19. Any other reports on this?

I just did a quick google - can't see anything as of yet.

[magical thyme]

20. not yet that I've seen. only Sputnik, Pravda, InSerbia, and some

commercial defense site. Probably the same things you saw.

Don't know if it's true or not...but Mirror still has it.