Again militants, again Turkey…
Recently, Turkey has occupied a fairly significant block of information in the publications of various media. True, the messages mostly revolve around the attitude of Ankara and the Turkish president personally around various armed conflicts, where Turkey continues to play an important role.
One example of this is the proposal of the Turkish leader with his “intermediary services” in resolving the Ukrainian crisis, which was widely covered in the media from different (and not always flattering for Ankara) positions. True, at the same time, Erdogan continued to pump Ukraine with his combat drones and deepen military cooperation with Kiev, which raised a natural question for any sane reader: so what is the “intermediary role” here? – It looks more like inciting a military conflict and Erdogan’s unilateral position on the side of Kyiv, clearly coordinated with NATO, of which Turkey is a member, as well as with Washington, which has long been exercising external control over Ukraine, both directly and through various intermediaries, its allies in NATO.
The ongoing activity of Ankara to send its militants from Syria to a number of conflict zones did not leave the news feed. In particular, to Libya, where the international community and members of the 5+5 Joint Military Committee had previously decided to return foreign troops located on the territory of the North African state to their homeland. Moreover, Turkey, in response, officially announced its readiness to withdraw about 150 militants from Libya. However, at the same time, as Al-Hadath reported on February 17, at least 150 new Syrian fighters arrived in Libya to participate in hostilities there. Most of them are part of the illegal formation of the Muhammad al-Fateh Brigade (banned in the Russian Federation), which is associated with groups loyal to Turkey. According to journalists, the mercenaries were recruited with the participation of the Turkish military, who organize their delivery from the Syrian province of Idlib to Tripoli. Moreover, according to journalists, the Turkish Ministry of Defense allegedly pays for the services of Syrian mercenaries in Libya, paying, in particular, warlords $200-250 each. In recent months, the supply or exchange of pro-Turkish mercenaries in Libya has been taking place regularly. Along with armed gangs, militants represent one of the main problems hindering the peace process in this country.
Information about the ongoing deployment of Syrian mercenaries by Turkey to the west of Libya was confirmed on the air of the Libyan TV channel Al Masar on February 22 by the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) Rami Abd al-Rahman. According to him, R.T. Erdogan continues to import groups into Libya under the guise of an agreement concluded with the former Tripolitan Government of National Accord (GNA). The recruitment of militants is carried out by Turkish intelligence in Syria, and then, through a security company, gives them legal cover in an African state. At the same time, al-Rahman stressed that a number of Arab media do not want to cover this topic and expressed his suspicions about the existence of agreements between Erdogan and some countries in the region in the context of the media war.
But the media, nevertheless, do not stop revealing Turkey’s involvement not only in sending militants to other countries, but also in making legalization documents for them, as well as former members of terrorist groups, including DAISH (banned in the Russian Federation). According to them, militants can freely visit not only Libya, but the whole of Europe, as well as the United States.
For example, The Guardian managed to find those who make and sell fake documents for dozens of people associated with Daesh, who then quietly cross the border into Syria, presenting such documents, and disperse around the world. Such documents cost between $5,000 and $15,000, while the holder of a false passport receives an almost 100% guarantee that he will cross the border with Turkey calmly. The journalists of the British publication managed to contact one of the underground firms that produce fake documents, which is headed by a native of Uzbekistan, who lives in Turkey. His business is doing so well that he started a special Telegram channel with the serious name of Istanbul Global Consulting. When asked by journalists about whether terrorists or dangerous extremists could use his products to evade justice, the entrepreneur replied that he does not ask his clients what group or movement they belong to.
In this regard, the question is quite appropriate: why are the Turkish authorities and law enforcement services themselves not interested in this “business” and do not cover it up?
Under these conditions, it is not surprising that the business of this “entrepreneur” from Turkey and his colleagues has recently been expanding, in particular, at the expense of residents of refugee camps in Syria, for example, the Al-Khol camp, where about 60 thousand women and children associated with Daesh fighters. In addition, according to The Guardian, after the seizure of power in Afghanistan by the Taliban movement (banned in the Russian Federation), many “clients” appeared from among the Afghan refugees in Turkey, who, using fake passports, board a plane in Turkey, bound for some Western country, and upon arrival there they apply for asylum.
The products of such underground firms also allow individuals who wish to disappear without a trace – just order a fake death certificate for only $ 500 and send it to the consulate of the client’s country, since no one will go to the morgue and check who is really lying there.
In addition, recently there was information in the media that Turkey has become the largest source of military equipment for radical Islamists. This information was also confirmed by the Turkish Financial Crime Investigation Board (MASAK), which published a new report, which contains data on the involvement of three construction companies from the port city of Mersin in arms trafficking with Daesh militants. Weapons and components for unmanned aerial vehicles were mostly purchased in China, and then, through the territory under Ankara, they were transported by sea to the militants. The harbor, where local firms were based, occupied a central part in the supply chain. MASAK employees report that in 2015-2016, Altun İnci Construction supplied Daesh with already well-known Turkish UAVs and weapons worth several million dollars. In its report, MASAK notes that Turkish intelligence (MİT) also conducted surveillance of this company and its leader. However, it is not entirely clear why the Daesh criminal arms supply chain was not exposed and liquidated sooner?
And this is a very incomplete list of information floating in various media about Turkey and its ties with militants and extremist groups, including in Ukraine. Let’s all watch together!
Source: Again militants, again Turkey… ● ● moskva.news ∎ Moskva.news
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of the Observatory.