Regional geopolitics

[Vrej1915]

US military shots down reports about exiting Turkey, Qatar bases

By Leith Aboufadel
-
26/03/2018


US Central Command and US Air Force Central Command have denied reports that the US was in the process of liquidating its two largest air bases in the Middle East at Incirlik, Turkey, and Al-Udeid, Qatar.

On March 22, DEBKAFile reported “earthshaking” news that turned out to be anything but: according to the Israeli military intelligence website, US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman supposedly agreed to transfer military assets from Qatar to Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the contentious report stated that Trump was “packing up” the US Air Force base in southern Turkey, too.

“These reports are false and without merit,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated Sunday via Twitter. Al-Udeid Air Base serves as a central hub for US Central Command in the Middle East.

US Air Force Central Command, (AFCENT), the air component of CENTCOM, also stated Sunday that the command was “aware of news reports falsely asserting US military forces are leaving Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, and Al-Udeid AB, Qatar. There is zero credibility to these reports, which only increase mistrust and division among regional partners at a time when we need to work together to address shared security concerns.”

“The US and Qatari government acknowledge their strong and lasting bilateral security partnership,” AFCENT stated on its Facebook page.

The Pentagon has told reporters in recent months that the Turkish base in Incirlik plays a significant role in NATO and anti-Daesh coalition efforts.

[Azad]

US military shots down reports about exiting Turkey, Qatar bases

On March 22, DEBKAFile reported “earthshaking” news that turned out to be anything but

Coincidentally

"Turkey still discussing missile defense purchases from U.S." MARCH 23, 2018

https://in.reuters.com/article/turkey-usa-defense/turkey-still-discussing-missile-defence-purchases-from-u-s-eurosam-idINKBN1GZ12L

"Federal prosecutors dismiss assault charges against 11 Turkish guards in D.C. brawl" March 22

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/federal-prosecutors-quietly-dismiss-assault-charges-against-11-turkish-guards-in-dc-brawl/2018/03/22/626608da-2dec-11e8-8ad6-fbc50284fce8_story.html?utm_term=.08d22531db14

More like US and Russia are fighting for turkey in their sphere of influence. erdogan is playing the game well. One of them will eventually grill the shet out of that turkey.

[Vrej1915]

Թուրքական աղբյուրներ. Ռուսները Սիրիայի Թել Ռիֆաթը թողել են Թուրքիայի զինուժին

Posted on Մարտ 27, 2018 by Տարոն Հովհաննիսյան


Այսօր՝ մարտի 27-ին, թուրքական աղբյուրները հայտնում են, թե Ռուսաստանի հետ ձեռք բերված համաձայնությամբ ռուսական զորքերը դուրս են եկել Սիրիայի քրդերի վրահսկած Թել Ռիֆաթ քաղաքից: Թուրքական զինուժը քրդերից կարողացել է գրավել նաև Թել Ռիֆաթը և Մենաղ ավիաբազան՝ գրեթե ամբողջությամբ վերցնելով Աֆրինի շրջանը: View image on Twitter

Chryses07@ehlisam_
Russian police officers handed over Tal Rifat to Turkish army and FSA.

Rus polis birlikleri Tel Rıfat'ı TSK'ya bıraktı.
11:46 PM - Mar 26, 2018

Երկու օր առաջ՝ մարտի 25-ին, Թուրքիայի նախագահ Ռեջեփ Թայիփ էրդողանը հայտարարել էր, ո ր Թել Ռիֆաթը ևս կգրավեն:

Թել Ռիֆաթը և Մենաղ ավիաբազան Աֆրինում քրդերի վերջին խոշոր հենակետերն էին: Եթե թուրքական կողմը իրոք գրավել է այդ հատվածները, ապա աֆրինում քրդերի վերահսկողության տակ գրեթե շրջան չի մնացել, մնացած գյուղերը գրավելն էլ շատ ջանքեր չի խլի:

Հավելենք, որ թուրքական ոկղմը, ինչպես և հայտարարել էր Էրդողանը, արդեն իսկ սկսել է Աֆրինում իր «հսկողության» տակ վերցնել դպրոցները: Թուրքական հեռուստաալիքների տարածած տեսանյութում երևում է, թե թուրք զինծառայողների ուղեկցությամբ և Թուրքիայի դրոշներով ինչպես են դպրոց գնում Աֆրինի երեխաները:



This entry was posted in Լուրեր and tagged YPG, թուրք-քրդական հակամարտություն, Թուրքիա, Թուրքիայի զինված ուժեր, Քրդստանի աշխատավորական կուսակցություն. Bookmark the permalink.

[Vrej1915]

Մեծ խնդիր ունենք Նախիջեւանի ուղղությամբ. Արման Նավասարդյան

[Vrej1915]

Breaking: Early reports from northern Aleppo indicate Turkish-Russian talks failed in Tal Rifaat

By Leith Aboufadel
-
29/03/2018


BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:25 A.M.) – Early reports from the northern Aleppo countryside indicate that the Russian-Turkish talks in Tal Rifa’at failed after the Turkish delegation refused certain terms of the deal.

According to the reports, the Turkish Army refused to force the militants in Jisr Al-Shughour to handover the town to the Syrian Arab Army (SAA); this prompted the Russians to refuse to handover Tal Rifa’at to Turkey.

The militants in Jisr Al-Shughour have long been a thorn in the Syrian Army’s side, as the town’s proximity to the Latakia Governorate leaves them within striking distance of government areas.

In recent days, the Syrian and Russian air forces have increased their attacks on Jisr Al-Shughour in an effort to get the militants to be more receptive to handing over the town.

The Syrian Army is poised to retake Jisr Al-Shughour and will not accept any kind of deal that would allow the militants to remain inside the town.

[Azad]

"Azerbaijan Seeks Satellite Cooperation With Saudi Arabia"

https://spacewatch.global/2018/03/azerbaijan-seeks-satellite-cooperation-saudi-arabia/

Wasn't sure to post in this thread or under jokes. Yergou echer irar kederen.

[Vrej1915]

Pictures: US motorized forces in Syria patrol frontline with Turkish-backed rebels near Manbij as tensions reach new level

By Andrew Illingworth
-
30/03/2018


BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:20 P.M.) – Photos (below) have emerged showing US motorized forces patrolling the frontline with Turkish-backed rebels near the city of Manbij in northern Aleppo province.

The stepped up US patrols in defense of Pentagon-backed proxies comes as Ankara is making serious threats about launching an offensive to expel Syrian Kurdish forces from Manbij and its surrounding countryside.

There are reports that Turkish-backed rebel groups (guided by Ankara) are already making preliminary moves for a major military operation against US-led forces in Manbij.

Recently, two troops of the US-coalition (at least one confirmed to be an American) were killed and five others injured in an IED attack that sources are now saying happened in Manbij city; no warring faction has officially been blamed yet.

Recently, reports emerged that France was planning to send troops to Manbij to deter Turkish aggression towards Syrian Kurdish forces.

[Vrej1915]

Syria war: Turkey's Erdogan rejects French mediation offer

• 30 March 2018
• BBC

Related Topics

• Syrian civil war

Image copyrightAFP Image captionPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected Emmanuel Macron's call for dialogue between Turkey and Kurds
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected France's offer to mediate in northern Syria, saying he is "saddened" by its position.

"We have no need for mediation," he said. "We are extremely saddened by France's... wrong stance on this."

Turkey is battling to drive out the Kurdish YPG militia, which it sees as an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

In a speech in Ankara, Mr Erdogan rebutted France's call for dialogue.

"Since when has Turkey been sitting down at the table with terror organisations?" he said. "You can sit down at the table with terror organisations but Turkey will continue its fight against terror."

France says the YPG has no direct organisational links to the PKK, which Turkey says is a terror group.

• Who are the Kurds?
• Why the battle for northern Syria matters

Earlier on Friday, a spokesman for Mr Erdogan said countries should take a "clear stance against all types of terrorism".

"We reject any efforts to promote 'dialogue', 'contact' or 'mediation' between Turkey and those terrorist organisations," the spokesman said. What's behind the French offer?

President Emmanuel Macron had met members of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), including the YPG and expressed hopes for dialogue between Turkey and the militia.

His office said he had "paid tribute to the sacrifices and the determining role" of the SDF in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group.

• Why is there a war in Syria?
• Why is Turkey targeting Kurdish forces? The short, medium and long story

Image copyrightAFP Image captionTurkish-backed Syrian opposition fighters in Afrin
The SDF is a key US ally in the fight against IS and the Kurdish YPG forms a core part of it.

France and the US have given the militia weapons and training to support its battle against IS.

The president said France would support the "stabilisation" of the security zone in north-east Syria to stop IS regaining strength.

Kurdish officials said Mr Macron had committed himself to sending more troops to the area but Paris declined to comment on that.

France has suffered a series of deadly terror attacks claimed by IS in recent years, including the Paris attacks which killed 130 people in 2015.

A week ago an IS sympathiser killed three people in a rampage in southern France, including a police officer who died after swapping places with a hostage. How dangerous is the conflict in northern Syria?

Earlier this month Turkey ousted Kurdish fighters from the Syrian-Kurdish city of Afrin. Activists said 280 civilians had been killed, although this was denied by Ankara.

As many as a quarter of a million civilians are said to have fled the city. Media captionFootage shows destroyed statues and flags being raised in the centre of Afrin

• How Afrin became a prize worth a war

Turkey has since threatened to attack the SDF-controlled town of Manbij, which was taken from IS in 2016 - and where the US has stationed troops.

The Turkish national security council issued an ultimatum on Wednesday, saying it would act if Kurdish fighters did not leave immediately.

Elsewhere in Syria, Turkey said five soldiers were killed and seven wounded in an attack by the PKK in the south-eastern province of Siirt.

The attack, the deadliest by the PKK for months, is likely to be in revenge for Turkey's offensive in northern Syria, BBC Turkey correspondent Mark Lowen reports.

[Vrej1915]

Kosovo security chiefs sacked after six Turks deported

• 30 March 2018
• BBC

Image copyrightAFP Image captionKosovo school students protested over the arrest of their Turkish teachers
Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has sacked two top security officials for failing to tell him about the arrest and deportation of six Turks.

Turkey says the six support Fethullah Gulen, the US-based cleric blamed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a plot to oust him in 2016.

Mr Haradinaj and Mr Erdogan have both said the six were sent back on Thursday.

It is reported to be Europe's first deportation of "Gulenists" to Turkey.

Several hundred such suspects have been sent back to Turkey previously from outside Europe, from countries such as Sudan, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reports.

Most of Kosovo's population is ethnic Albanian and Muslim.

Since breaking away from Serbia in 1999, Kosovo has forged close ties with Turkey, getting much-needed economic assistance. Turkish firms run the airport and electricity network.

Mr Haradinaj sacked Kosovo Interior Minister Flamur Sefaj and intelligence agency chief Driton Gashi.

In a tweet, he said he had not been informed about the Kosovo Intelligence Agency operation.

Five of the suspects are teachers at schools run by the Mehmet Akif College, a Kosovo-based institution reported to have links to Mr Gulen. On Thursday college students demonstrated against their arrest.

Hurriyet, quoting security sources, said all six had been detained by Kosovo officials on Thursday "as a result of co-operation" between the two governments.

They were later taken to the airport near the capital, Pristina, and handed over to Turkish intelligence officials, Hurriyet said.

• Turkey crackdown pushes intellectuals out
• Turkey post-coup purge convulses society
• Fethullah Gulen: Powerful but reclusive cleric
• Kosovo politics and history

Mr Erdogan has cracked down hard on alleged Gulen supporters, arresting or dismissing thousands of public servants, and urging foreign governments to hand over suspects.

[Vrej1915]

Turkey's Erdogan Slams Kosovo Criticism Of Deportation Of Gulen-Linked Turks

Last Updated: March 31, 2018

• RFE/RL's Balkan Service

---

Students of Mehmet Akif College demonstrate against the arrest of their teachers in Pristina on March 29.
Turkey's president has slammed Kosovo's prime minister for being critical of the arrest and deportation of six Turkish citizens with ties to schools linked to the Fethullah Gulen movement that Ankara blames for a failed 2016 coup.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on March 31 he was "saddened" and that Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj would "pay" after he dismissed both his interior minister and his intelligence chief for deporting the six from Kosovo without his permission.

Haradinaj, who said he was not informed about the operation, launched an investigation on March 31 "of all [state] structures that were involved in arresting and deporting" the six Turkish citizens.

"My question to Kosovo's prime minister is: under whose instructions did you undertake such actions? Since when have you started to defend those who attempted a coup against Turkey?" Erdogan asked, noting Turkey was the second country in the world to recognize Kosovo after the United States.

"How can you [defend] these people who attempted a coup against Kosovo's brother country -- Turkey?' You will answer for this!" he added.

On March 30 Haradinaj dismissed his interior minister and the secret-service chief after the arrest and expulsion of the six Turkish nationals a day earlier.

Turkey said the six arrested on March 29 were allegedly responsible for recruiting into Gulen’s network and helping those in Turkey leave the country amid a security crackdown in which tens of thousands of people have either been fired or imprisoned for alleged ties to Gulen.

Turkey is a major supporter of impoverished Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008, and Turkish firms run the tiny Balkan country's sole airport and electricity network, and are building two highways worth around $2 billion.

Ankara accuses Gulen, a Muslim cleric based in the United States, of masterminding a July 15, 2016 coup attempt, and has declared his movement a terrorist operation. Gulen denies any link with the abortive putsch.

Human Rights Watch has criticized the Kosovo authorities over the arrests.

"In addition to the questionable arrests, the men were sent to a country where they face a serious risk of torture," the watchdog said in a statement. With reporting by Reuters