"More of an ambush than anything else." [View all]

[another_liberal]

Professor of Global Affairs at New York University, Dr. Mark Galeotti, is among a growing number of knowledgeable authorities who have concluded that Turkey's attack on a Russian fighter jet Tuesday was a premeditated, intentional act, an ambush the intent of which was to bring the West to Turkey's aid in countering Russia's anti-terrorist campaign.

SU-24 aircraft on fire after being hit by Turkish air-to-air missile.


Turkey ‘Ambushed’ Russian Su-24 to Protect Terrorists – NYU Professor


The shooting down of the Russian Su-24 bomber was a planned attack and a trap set by the Turkish Air Force, Dr. Mark Galeotti, the Professor of Global Affairs at the New York University, told Radio Sputnik.

"What it in fact seems to be, as many are saying, it was more of an ambush than anything else," Galeotti told Sputnik.

By downing the Russian plane, Turkey had two things in mind. First of all, Ankara wants to assert itself as a powerful regional actor, especially considering Russia's active participation in Syria. The Turkish government thought that by shooting down its plane Turkey would make Russia take Ankara more seriously in the future. Secondly, the Turkish government wanted to protect its allies, whom Russia's currently bombing in Syria, Galeotti, an expert in Russo-Turkish relations, explained.

Turkey intends to protect ISIL, as it has direct financial interests involved in the delivery of oil extracted from ISIL-controlled territories. Various estimates place oil revenues generated by ISIL somewhere between $40 and $50 million a month. A day prior to the downing of the Su-24, Russian airstrikes destroyed over 1,000 semi-truck tankers carrying crude oil to ISIL refineries, a large oil storage facility and an oil refinery in Syria.

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Read more, and hear full interview at: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151126/1030827854/turkey-russia-su-24-erdogan-ambush-galeotti.html