Posted on 11/24/2015 10:36:53 AM PST by Navy Patriot
Turkey's shooting down of a Russian jet, and the so far unconfirmed death of its two pilots, said to have been shot by Syrian Turkmen rebels loyal to the Islamic militant group, al Nusra, is the most severe blow that Turkish-Russian relations have suffered in decades.
Russia and Turkey, at loggerheads since the end of September when Russian troops moved into Syria to back President Bashar al-Assad, both claim to be the innocent party. Though there have been four alleged Russian incursions into Turkish airspace since the beginning of October, Moscow was quick to deny any such action this time. Turkey's military say that the jet was shot down only after being given ten warnings in the course of five minutes and ignoring them.
The plane fell into Syrian not Turkish territory which indicates it must at least have been very close to the border if it was in Turkey's airspace. The area, described by Turkey as being held by Turkmens, is part of the territory of al-Nusra, an affiliate of al-Qaeda. Turkish officials were saying late on Tuesday afternoon that they believe both airmen are alive and that efforts are under way for their release.
(Excerpt) Read more at atimes.com ...
The al-Nusra Front, or Jabhat al-Nusra “The Support Front for the People of Al-Sham”, often abbreviated to JN or JaN), sometimes called al-Qaeda in Syria or al-Qaeda in the Levant, is a Sunni Islamic jihadist militia fighting against Syrian Government forces in the Syrian Civil War, with the aim of establishing an Islamist state in the country. It is the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, and also operates in neighbouring Lebanon.
The al-Nusra Front membership are primarily Syrian Sunni Muslims. Its goals are to overthrow Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria and to create an Islamic emirate under sharia law.
Turkey and Russia have been engaged in a cold war that has at times been pretty warm. I’d guess it started in earnest during the Chechen war. Turkey has backed the Chechens and still provides operational bases and probably money and logistics for terrorist activities in Russia. Russia strikes at Chechen rebels in their safe houses inside Turkey. So, this shoot down is a further move in the ongoing hostilities. Russia is very big on tit-for-tat. Turkey will pay. Expect a bomb or assassination in Turkey shortly. Or, if Putin wants to hit back in kind, you’ll find that an expensive piece of Turkish military hardware catches fire and is destroyed. The US really needs to distance itself from this mess.
Russian Orthodox would love to see Istanbul become “Constantinople” again.
Is this more severe or less severe than (allegedly) forcing a prisoner to wear underpants on his head?
How can the US distance itself and still keep up the necessary support for the Muslim Brotherhood, all the good Syrian Rebels, and the Caliphate?
We are all EQUALLY severe in the new US and NATO.
.......and NATO. This is freakin' mess of epic proportions.
“How can the US distance itself and still keep up the necessary support for the Muslim Brotherhood, all the good Syrian Rebels, and the Caliphate? “
I was thinking about the good of the country, which is not what I believe Obama thinks about. I suspect he lives in a teacher’s lounge world where fat professors pontificate about their uninformed views; America Bad, Diversity Good, Socialism Perfect.
I would like to see Orthodox Christian Greece have a common border with Syria.
Well, we agree there, unfortunately, there are a goodly number of "Americans" who put Obama where he is, instead of where he belongs.
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