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NATO AND TURKEY'S GENOCIDAL WAR ON SYRIA
By Cem Ertur. Axis of Logic.
Axis of Logic
Monday, Apr 7, 2014
http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_66524.shtml
Editor's comment: Cem Ertur's account of the crimes committed by Turkey
and NATO in the ongoing war against Syria is laid out in meticulous
detail and supported by a rich and credible bibliography. Much of this
important information is from his reading of original reports published
in the Turkish language which English readers would never otherwise
hear. This report provides a convincing, up-to-date indictment of
the governments of Turkey, other NATO countries and Israel for their
savage, furtive war against the Syrian people and government. Cem's
spotlight illuminates a cross-border stage, exposing those hiding in
the shadows of the media's deceptive and confusing language.
- Les Blough, Editor Axis of Logic
"President [Obama] has been clear: Any [military] action that he
might decide to take will be a limited and tailored response to
ensure that a despot's brutal and flagrant use of chemical weapons
is held accountable."
[U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, speech at the U.S. State
Department, Washington D.C., 30 August 2013] 1
"What matters is to weaken the regime to the point where it gives
up power. [...] What matters is to repeat here the Kosovo [War]
precedent. Otherwise, [just] a 24 hours hit-and-run wouldn't work."
[Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, press remarks at
the Victory Day reception, Cankaya presidential residence, Ankara,
30 August 2013]2
On March 16, the third anniversary of the NATO-led covert war on Syria,
Syrian army won a landmark victory by taking back the Yabroud town
on the Lebanese border.3 Hours later, NATO-backed 'Al-Nusra Front
in Lebanon' retaliated by launching a false-flag bombing attack in
Lebanon.4 On March 18-19, the Israeli army bombarded Syrian Army
positions by tank and artillery fire and airstrikes.5
On March 21, NATO-backed mercenary forces and Turkish Armed Forces
launched a massive offensive on the Syrian border town of Kasab in
the Latakia province. The unprecedented overt military aggression
by Turkey and its NATO allies is the clearest indication of their
desperation in the face of Syria's steady progress towards a decisive
victory on all fronts.
This article details the flagrant war crimes committed by Turkey and
NATO during the ongoing offensive on Kasab and puts them in a context.
The offensive on Kasab
Turkey's Yayladagi-Kasab border crossing with Syria was unilaterally
closed by Erdogan's government in the aftermath of the May 2013
false-flag attacks in the border town of Reyhanli "to prevent the
suspects from fleeing".1 At the time, this was the only border gate
along the border with Turkey which was controlled by the Syrian
government and therefore the only legal and safe transit point for
the civilians.7 Thanks to Turkey's full support, NATO-backed mercenary
forces are currently occupying nine out of twelve border gates between
Syria and Turkey.8
In the early stages of the covert war on Syria, Erdogan's government
rendered the entire 877 kilometres-long border with Syria porous for
the NATO-backed mercenaries who have been using it as a highway. In
many areas along the Syrian border, fences and concrete barriers were
removed and roads were stabilized to allow the passage of all sorts
of vehicles, including those rigged with bombs.1
Furthermore, with hindsight, the motive behind the removal of some
615,000 landmines on the Syrian border was to ease the passage of
mercenaries as well as military and intelligence officials of Turkey's
and allied NATO countries' security forces. Planted with NATO's support
between 1957-1959, the activities to remove these landmines began
in 2007, for which the help of NATO's Maintenance and Supply Agency
(NAMSA) was sought in 2009.10,11,12 Likewise, lifting mutual visa
requirements with Syria in 2009 allowed Turkey to prepare the ground
for destabilizing its neighbour.13 In November 2013, Syria's Deputy
Foreign Minister Fayssal Mikdad accused Turkey of letting terrorists
from 83 countries to enter Syria to topple the government.14
Over the few months, mercenaries from Kosovo, the Balkans and other
European countries had been deployed in Yayladagi and Samandag
countryside in preparation for a cross-border offensive on the
predominantly Armenian town of Kasab.15 Seven villages on Turkey's
border with Syria were evacuated and allocated to the mercenaries.16
Just before the offensive, power outages occurred along the route
through which military vehicles moved towards the Syrian border.17
According to the local villagers, on March 21, backed up by the heavy
artillery fire of the Turkish Armed Forces, over 1500 mercenaries
launched a coordinated assault from at least five separate points
across Turkey's border with Syria. They were directly commanded
by NATO's radar base on Keldagi (Mount Aqraa) on the border and
supported by the Turkish Armed Forces. 18,19,15 The mercenaries used
pick-up trucks fitted with anti-aircraft weapons, tanks belonging to
the Turkish Armed Forces, vehicles loaded with heavy weaponry and
lorries.19,20 The primary and initial assault was the one launched
from the Yayladagi border gate to the opposite Kasab border gate,
during which masked Turkish special forces troops killed 15 Syrian
border guards.20,21
Turkish Armed Forces are giving cover to the mercenaries through
mortar, artillery and rocket shelling across the border by armored
vehicles and coordinated heavy machine-gun fire by helicopters. They
are also using long-range assassination weapons and intercepting the
communication of the Syrian Army.22,23,24,15 This report by Alalam
describes how Turkish Armed Forces' tanks pounded Syria's military
bases in Kasab:
"[A] huge explosion was heard at a Syrian army base near Kasab after
Turkish military targeted the area. The explosion has been followed
with Turkish military firing several other rockets at Syrian army
bases [...] Al-Qaeda's al-Nusra Front have raised their flags over
several Turkish military tanks near Kasab, as a sign of having the
area under their control."25 The 'huge explosion', whose impact was
felt from 15 kilometres, was caused by a missile fired from Turkey.20
Furthermore, according to a Syrian general taking part in this battle,
Turkish Armed Forces were among the mercenary forces attacking the
strategic hilltop 'Observatory 45' in Kasab.26
The majority of the mercenaries fighting in Kasab are of Chetchen,
Albanian, Saudi and Turkish origin.18 Ambulances are regularly crossing
Turkey's border with Syria to collect the wounded mercenaries and
transport them to hospitals across Turkey's Hatay province.17 In fact,
local protestors in Hatay's Harbiye district blocked the paths of
those ambulances.27
On the other hand, by refusing entry to the mercenaries fleeing the
attacks of the Syrian army, Turkey's border guards are forcing them to
continue the fighting.17On the fifth day of the offensive on Kasab,
mercenaries based in the towns of Yayladagi, Altinozu, Antakya,
Reyhanli, Osmaniye and other areas were still being deployed to
Turkey's border with Syria.18
The Syrian army was caught off guard as they were not expecting such
an overt and extreme military aggression from Turkey.19 Nevertheless,
Syria's government still exhibits utmost restraint:
"[Syrian] Foreign and Expatriates Ministry called on Wednesday26
[26 March] in two identical letters to the UN Secretary-General and
Chairman of the UN Security Council to take all measures required
to condemn the Turkish involvement in supporting the armed terrorist
groups which attacked Kasab district from Liwa Iskenderun [i.e. Hatay
province] and to compel the Turkish government to stop its aggression.
"Syrian government has drawn the attention of the UN Secretary-General
[Ban Ki-moon] and chairmen of the UN Security Council during the past
three years to the acts and violations committed by the Turkish
government against Syria's security and stability through the
Turkish involvement in organizing, receiving, funding and hosting
tens of thousands of terrorists from various takfiri movements and
facilitating their entry into the Syrian territories and giving them
background bases on the Turkish territories.
"After the failure of the attempts of the Turkish regime to undermine
Syria, the Turkish army moved by Turkish prime minister [Erdogan]'s
instructions to launch flagrant aggression on Syria as the Turkish
army's tanks and artillery took part directly in the attack on Kasab,
north of Syria, and its surrounding "[said Syrian Foreign Ministry]"28
The Syrian government said that Turkish Armed Forces' overt military
participation for the first time represents a dangerous escalation"29:
"Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Ja'afari told reporters
outside the UN Security Council on Wednesday [26 March] that Turkey
was facilitating attacks against Syrian forces by al-Qaeda-linked
terrorist groups through the country's northern borders and the
Israeli regime was doing the same in the occupied Golan Heights.
"Ja'afari added that Syria has been the target of an orchestrated joint
military operation conducted by the Turkish government and the Israeli
regime as well as the terrorist groups operating both along Syria's
northern border and its southern border." 30 As the offensive on Kasab
entered its fourth week, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad
has strongly condemned the United Nations' deliberate and consistent
policy of ignoring the existence of terrorism in Syria since Spring
2011 and made the following remark about the ongoing offensive:
"The massacres of Erdogan government-backed terrorist groups against
the residents of Kassab town are still a living example that appeals
to every UN official to feel ashamed of having turned into a tool
for supporting terrorism"31 The downing of the Syrian military jet
On the second day of the offensive on Kasab, a drone belonging to
the Turkish Armed Forces was shot down by the Syrian army as it was
flying over Kasab. This was one was among the drones and fighter
jets used by the Turkish Air Force to collect intelligence for the
mercenaries on the ground and intercept the communication of the
Syrian army. Turkey's politicians and media remained silent over this
incident as the location where the drone crashed was 1,5 kilometres
inside Syrian territory.18
On March 23, NATO radar base in Keldagi (Mount Aqraa) blocked a Syrian
MIG-23 military jet's contact with the air control tower. While flying
over Kasab, the jet was hit by a missile fired from Turkey. Having
survived the attack, the pilot of the Syrian jet gave a statement:
"The Syrian pilot whose aircraft was shot down in Kasab area on
Saturday said that a Turkish aircraft fired a missile at him while
he was pursuing terrorists within Syrian territories. The pilot told
Syrian TV that he was carrying out a mission of pursuing terrorists
within Syrian territories, more than 7 kilometers away from the
borders, and after arriving at the target's location, establishing
visual contact, and carrying out his mission, he turned around to
return to base when a rocket fired by a Turkish aircraft hit his
aircraft, so he left it using the ejector seat. He asserted his
target was within Syrian territories and he parachuted inside Syrian
territories"32 The downing of the Syrian military jet was broadcast
live by Turkey's private TV channel Haberturk from the border area
which is forbidden military zone.20 This reveals the pre-meditated
nature of this specific act of war. During his speech at a local
election rally, Prime Minister Erdogan blatantly lied by claiming
that Turkey's airspace had been violated:
"Around 12:15pm today yet another Hashasi [assassin], a Syrian plane
has violated our borders, our airspace. Our F-16 [jets] took off and
hit this plane. Why? Because if you violate my airspace, our slap
will be hard after that. So, I would like to congratulate the head
of the Turkish Armed Forces [Necdet Ozel] in particular, our Armed
Forces, those honourable pilots of ours and our Air Force in your
presence."33 By making a historical reference to the 'Hashasi' sect,
Mr Erdogan tried to demonize both Syria and Iran.
True to form, the U.S. State Department declared its overt support
for this act of war by Turkey:
"We are committed to Turkey's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We
note that the Turkish Government has been fully transparent about the
rules of engagement it is operating under"34 Local elections in Turkey
On the eve of the March 21 offensive on Kasab, Turkey's Deputy Prime
Minister Besir Atalay implicated the Syrian state in a shooting attack
in Nigde, which is located some 400 kilometres from the Syrian border:
"The word Syrian was mentioned in the briefing [note] I was given. The
martyrdom of a soldier and a police officer of ours in the run up
to the [local] elections is a very grave incident. It may be that
some are trying to spoil the election atmosphere."35 The next day,
it turned out that, the perpetrators were two Albanians and a Kosovar
mercenaries who were on their way back from fighting in the ranks of
the 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' against the Syrian state.36
On March 14, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu rehashed Turkey's threat
of launching a 25-kilometres border incursion of into Syria to defend
a 10,000 square metres enclave that belongs to Turkey37:
"Any kind of attack towards there [i.e. the Suleiman Shah Tomb] which
might come from the [Syrian] regime, the radical groups or another
place would be equally retaliated and Turkey would take all sorts of
precautions, without any hesitation, for the defense of that national
territory."38 Actually, as early as May 2011, a somewhat similar
scenario was disclosed by the relentless propagandist Robert Fisk39 :
"Turkish generals have thus prepared an operation that would send
several battalions of Turkish troops into Syria itself to carve out a
"safe area" for Syrian refugees inside Assad's caliphate. The Turks
are prepared to advance well beyond the Syrian border town of Al
Qamishli â?" perhaps half way to Deir el-Zour [...] to provide a
"safe haven" for those fleeing the slaughter in Syria's cities."40
Three days before the March 30 local elections, the audiotapes of a
meeting between Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, National Intelligence
Organization (MIT) director Hakan Fidan and the deputy head of the
Turkish Armed Forces Yasar Guler was 'leaked' on YouTube.41 According
to the transcript of the YouTube video, MIT director Fidan suggested
staging a false flag attack on the aforementioned Tomb of Suleiman
Shah to provide a justification for a possible war with Syria.42
Mr Erdogan implied that the leak was a U.S.-hatched conspiracy against
his government and Turkey's sovereignty. In a speech delivered after
winning the local elections, he referred to those whom he accuses
of collaborating:
"How [dare] you threaten our national security? Turkey is currently in
a state of war with Syria. They are harassing our airplanes. The 10,000
square metres [land] of the Tomb of Suleiman Shah is our territory,
[so] any attack on it is an attack on the 780,000 square metres
[territory of Turkey]. Can we remain silent to this? The traitors
eavesdropped this meeting and then leaked it to the world. They
are even worse than the Hashasis."43 Mr Erdogan's insinuation of
a U.S.-hatched conspiracy is lent credence by the leading global
media corporation's depiction of Erdogan, since the beginning of
the anti-government protests in May 2013, as a leader who is deeply
hostile to Western values and liberties. The motive behind this
domestic and global disinformation campaign is to obfuscate the Erdogan
government's utmost complicity in the NATO-led genocidal war on Syria,
not to mention the war crimes against Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan.
It is also worth noting that YouTube is notorious for censoring
material that exposes the crimes against the people and government
of Syria, whilst systematically promoting anti-Syria propaganda.44
Actually, this "leak" is a highly sophisticated WikiLeaks-style
psy-ops which seeks to divert attention away from the utterly criminal
cross-border offensive on Kasab by NATO-backed mercenary forces and the
Turkish Armed Forces. Furthermore, on April 1 the Syrian government
has revealed that the aim of the offensive on Kasab is to keep the
Syrian army busy so that the mercenary forces in Damascus could carry
out a false-flag chemical attack45 :
"Syria's Permanent Representative to the UN Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari
said that terrorist groups are planning to launch attacks using
chemical weapons in Jobar area to accuse the Syrian government of it
, as indicated by a phone call between terrorists monitored by the
authorities. [...]
"There's nothing called international community, unfortunately,"
al-Jaafari said, "we directed two letters to the Security Council to
have the countries that keep talking about the threats of chemical
weapons to pressure the countries sponsoring and funding these
terrorist groups â?" specifically the Turkish, Saudi, and Qatari
governments â?" to prevent such terrorist acts by pressuring these
gangs and terrorist gangs," adding that now this matter is in the
hands of the [U.N.] Security Council. [...]
"These terrorist groups came from Turkish territories and were covered
by Turkish artillery, tanks and aircrafts so that they aren't engaged
by the Syrian Army in that area, with the purpose of the Turkish
military involvement being an attempt to distract the Syrian Army form
these terrorist groups so that they may commit their heinous acts," he
said.46 Over the last three years, Turkey and its NATO-led allies have
totally exposed themselves and exhausted their credibility by blatantly
resorting to all sorts of false-flag attacks imaginable against Syria
in order to topple President Bashar al-Assad and/or instigate a war.
In fact, Turkey has a long history of false flag attacks on Syria,
including a failed assassination attempt on the then-President Hafez
al-Assad in 1996.47 A selection of news reports from 2011 and 2013
below offer a glimpse of Turkey's utmost criminality.
Flashback to 2011
In late March 2011, only two weeks after the launch of the NATO-led
covert war on Syria, CIA director Leon Panetta secretly visited
Turkey's border with Syria.48 A month later, Turkish newspaper Sabah
announced Panetta's visit and CIA's cooperation with Turkey over Syria:
"CIA Director Leon Panetta made a surprise visit to Turkey at the
end of March [2011]. Panetta's 5 day visit to Ankara was hidden from
the public opinion as a top secret. [...] Panetta met with Turkey's
National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Hakan Fidan, as well as
officials from the government and the General Staff of Turkish Armed
Forces. [...] During the consultations, it was pointed out that
Syria is at a "critical threshold" [...] that the country would be
dragged into chaos if Assad doesn't take urgent steps. Details of
what was described as Turkey's "classified" [plan] concerning Syria
were also discussed. It has been pointed out that the "classified"
[plan] entails regime change in Syria"49 The following day, Sabah
revealed Turkey's plan for toppling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad:
"In the face of the escalation of events in Syria, Turkey [has decided]
to launch its classified "Plan B" instead of its Plan A which envisaged
Assad to remain in power. "Plan B" covers the possibilities of chaos,
civil war and migration. [...] [The border provinces of] Hatay,
Sanliurfa, Kilis and Mardin have been designated for [setting up]
reception camps and field hospitals."50 What is particularly striking
is that this plan of setting up five refugee camps (including two in
Hatay) along some 600 kilometres-long segment of the Syrian border
was conceived before any violent incident occurred in north Syria.
On May 31st, 2011 Turkey hosted a three-day 'regime change' conference
in a five-star hotel in Antalya with the participation of some 300
members of the Syrian opposition.51,52
The first major false flag attack of the NATO-led covert war on Syria
was orchestrated through the military and intelligence cooperation of
the U.S. and Turkey. On June 6, 2011, 120 Syrian soldiers were brutally
massacred by the Muslim Brotherhood mercenaries in the town of Jisr
al-Shughour, located 10 kilometres from the border with Turkey.53 At
the time, this report by SANA was largely ignored by the mainstream
and alternative media alike:
"The Syrian TV broadcast photos of the brutal massacres perpetrated by
organized armed terrorist groups against the civilians and the army,
police and security forces groups in Jisr al-Shughour in the province
of Idleb.
"Members of the terrorist groups used government cars and military
uniform to commit their crimes of killing, terrifying people and
sabotaging. They filmed themselves committing vandalism acts to
manipulate the photos and videos and distort the reputation of the
[Syrian] army.
"The terrorists attacked police and security centers as well as
other governmental and private institutions, violated the streets,
neighborhoods and houses and used rooftops to sniper and shoot at
citizens and security forces. [...]
"They also set up ambushes for police and security forces, mutilated
the bodies of some martyrs and threw the bodies of others into the
Orontes River, in addition to putting barriers on the roads and
terrifying people.
"The groups members also kidnapped a number of the martyrs' bodies
and buried them in the ground to later promote them as if they are
mass graves with the help of the channels they are working with in
inciting against Syria. [...]
"The number of the martyrs of police and security members exceeded
120 until Monday evening, who were killed at the hands of the armed
terrorist groups in Jisr al-Shughour."54
These two reports by Press TV provide details of Turkey's complicity
in the Jisr al-Shughour massacre:
"According to informed sources in Damascus that cited an unspecific
classified report, the "unprecedented intensification" of unrest in
Syria stems from deals between Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and some unknown groups in the region.55
"The Syrian government says the weapons used during clashes in Jisr
al-Shughour were smuggled into the country from Turkey and that some
members of the terrorist groups behind days of deadly clashes in the
town have escaped to Turkey.
"Meanwhile, [Syrian] state TV broadcast a phone call between two
members of the armed groups who committed terrorist acts in Jisr
al-Shughour region, revealing that the armed men are planning to
leave the area for Turkey as displaced local citizens."56
Turkish Armed Forces troops crossed into Syria through the border under
the guise of helping the fleeing civilians.53 The Jisr al-Shughour
massacre occurred six days before the 2011 general elections in
Turkey. Prime Minister Erdogan has fully capitalised in the ensuing
migration to Turkey:
"Syria is practically a domestic issue for us, I have said this many
times. [...] Currently there are [people] entering Turkey through the
Altinozu [district]. [...] We really cannot close our gates to people
fleeing for their lives and seeking refuge in Turkey. We have to let
them in. [...] [Assad's brother Maher] is chasing after savagery. This
[situation] is inevitably leading to the United Nations Security
Council's involvement"57 Flashback to 2013
The NATO-led coalition of countries had nearly succeeded instigating
a war with Syria after NATO-backed mercenaries massacred civilians by
launching a chemical false flag attack in East Ghouta on August 21,
2013.58 Editor Yossef Bodansky sheds some light on Turkey's role in
this mind-boggling conspiracy:
"On August 13-14, 2013, Western-sponsored opposition forces in
Turkey started advance preparations for a major and irregular
military surge. Initial meetings between senior opposition military
commanders and representatives of Qatari, Turkish, and US Intelligence
["Mukhabarat Amriki"] took place at the converted Turkish military
garrison in Antakya, Hatay Province, used as the command center
and headquarters of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and their foreign
sponsors. Very senior opposition commanders who had arrived from
Istanbul briefed the regional commanders of an imminent escalation
in the fighting due to "a war-changing development" which would,
in turn, lead to a US-led bombing of Syria.
"The opposition forces had to quickly prepare their forces for
exploiting the US-led bombing in order to march on Damascus
and topple the Bashar al-Assad Government, the senior commanders
explained. [...] [U]nprecedented weapons distribution started in all
opposition camps in Hatay Province on August 21-23, 2013. In the
Reyhanli area alone, opposition forces received well in excess of
400 tons of weapons [...] which were distributed from store-houses
controlled by Qatari and Turkish Intelligence under the tight
supervision of US Intelligence."59
According to Mihrac Ural, the leader of the Latakia-based popular
anti-imperialist militia force 'Syrian Resistance' (Muqawamat
al-Suriyah), shortly before the false-flag chemical attack in East
Ghouta, a similar plot had been foiled. Mr Ural sums up the testimony
of a Dutch-Kurdish mercenary who is originally from Turkey and who was
captured by the Syrian Resistance on August 16, 2013 whilst fighting
in the Latakia countryside:
"[Turgay Yasar] explained that he brought the sarin gas from the
Netherlands [to Turkey] via the VIP section [under the auspices of]
the authorities from [Turkey's ruling] Justice and Development Party
(AKP) and handed them over to the al-Nusra Front. [He also disclosed
that although the NATO-backed mercenaries] had made preparations to
deploy the sarin gas on the Alawite [civilians] during the ongoing
battles in the Latakia countryside, they haven't had the opportunity in
the face of a series of resounding victories by [the Syrian Resistance
and the Syrian army]"60 Conclusion
All the available evidence indicates that U.S., U.K., Israel, Turkey,
France and Saudi Arabia meticulously planned the genocidal covert
war on Syria for years before actually launching it in 2011. Right
from the beginning, Turkey has been at the epicenter of this war in
every possible respect. In the face of the increasingly brutal and
reckless attacks across all of its land borders, the Syrian state,
army and people have been displaying an outstanding resistance,
courage and solidarity.
As the prospect of a decisive victory by the Syrian army becomes ever
more certain, the orchestrators of this genocide are disseminating
all sorts of propaganda on a global scale to obfuscate and cover
up their monumental war crimes. However, Turkey and NATO's overt
participation in the ongoing cross-border offensive on Kasab provides
an incontrovertible evidence of these crimes for those who seek peace
and justice for Syria and the entire humanity.
Cem Ertur is an independent researcher and peace activist, currently
based in Istanbul. Some of his work is published at Global Research and
all his Propaganda Alerts since November 2011 are published on Indybay.
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Secretary General and the President of the Security Council, United
Nations website, 1 April 2014
Al-Jaafari: Terrorists planning to launch chemical attack on Jobar
to accuse the government , SANA, 1 April 2014
Turkish Delight, by Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times, 16 June 1996
'Syria armed groups flee to Turkey', Press TV, 9 June 2011
CIA Baskani'ndan 'cok gizli' ziyaret, by Yahya Bostan, Sabah, 26
April 2011
Suriye icin B plani, Sabah, 27 April 2011
Assad opponents decide to support regime change in Syria, Today's
Zaman, 3 June 2011
Syrian activists demand Assad hand over power 'immediately', by Liz
Sly, Washington Post, 3 June 2011
A "Humanitarian War" on Syria? Military Escalation., Towards a Broader
Middle East-Central Asian War? by Prof Michel Chossudovsky, Global
Research, 9 August 2011
Photos of Brutal Massacres against Army, Police and Security Forces
Perpetrated by Armed Terrorist Groups in Jisr al-Shugour, SANA,
8 June 2011
'Turkey behind Syria unrest', Press TV, 9 June 2011
'Syrian troops enter Jisr al-Shughour', Press TV, 10 June 2011
Turkey's final warning to Syria: Tomorrow may be too late for reforms,
by Cem Ertur, Indybay, 18 June 2011
The Ghouta Chemical Attacks: US-Backed False Flag?, Killing Syrian
Children to Justify a "Humanitarian" Military Intervention, by
Julie Levesque and Prof Michel Chossudovsky, Global Research, 25
September 2013
Did the White House Help Plan the Syrian Chemical Attack?, by Yossef
Bodansky, Global Research, 1 September 2013
"Sarin Gazini Ak Partili yetkilinin yardimiyla El-Nusra'ya ulastirdik",
Cesim Ilhani's interview with Mihrac Ural, 7Sabah, 4 December 2013
By Cem Ertur. Axis of Logic.
Axis of Logic
Monday, Apr 7, 2014
http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_66524.shtml
Editor's comment: Cem Ertur's account of the crimes committed by Turkey
and NATO in the ongoing war against Syria is laid out in meticulous
detail and supported by a rich and credible bibliography. Much of this
important information is from his reading of original reports published
in the Turkish language which English readers would never otherwise
hear. This report provides a convincing, up-to-date indictment of
the governments of Turkey, other NATO countries and Israel for their
savage, furtive war against the Syrian people and government. Cem's
spotlight illuminates a cross-border stage, exposing those hiding in
the shadows of the media's deceptive and confusing language.
- Les Blough, Editor Axis of Logic
"President [Obama] has been clear: Any [military] action that he
might decide to take will be a limited and tailored response to
ensure that a despot's brutal and flagrant use of chemical weapons
is held accountable."
[U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, speech at the U.S. State
Department, Washington D.C., 30 August 2013] 1
"What matters is to weaken the regime to the point where it gives
up power. [...] What matters is to repeat here the Kosovo [War]
precedent. Otherwise, [just] a 24 hours hit-and-run wouldn't work."
[Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, press remarks at
the Victory Day reception, Cankaya presidential residence, Ankara,
30 August 2013]2
On March 16, the third anniversary of the NATO-led covert war on Syria,
Syrian army won a landmark victory by taking back the Yabroud town
on the Lebanese border.3 Hours later, NATO-backed 'Al-Nusra Front
in Lebanon' retaliated by launching a false-flag bombing attack in
Lebanon.4 On March 18-19, the Israeli army bombarded Syrian Army
positions by tank and artillery fire and airstrikes.5
On March 21, NATO-backed mercenary forces and Turkish Armed Forces
launched a massive offensive on the Syrian border town of Kasab in
the Latakia province. The unprecedented overt military aggression
by Turkey and its NATO allies is the clearest indication of their
desperation in the face of Syria's steady progress towards a decisive
victory on all fronts.
This article details the flagrant war crimes committed by Turkey and
NATO during the ongoing offensive on Kasab and puts them in a context.
The offensive on Kasab
Turkey's Yayladagi-Kasab border crossing with Syria was unilaterally
closed by Erdogan's government in the aftermath of the May 2013
false-flag attacks in the border town of Reyhanli "to prevent the
suspects from fleeing".1 At the time, this was the only border gate
along the border with Turkey which was controlled by the Syrian
government and therefore the only legal and safe transit point for
the civilians.7 Thanks to Turkey's full support, NATO-backed mercenary
forces are currently occupying nine out of twelve border gates between
Syria and Turkey.8
In the early stages of the covert war on Syria, Erdogan's government
rendered the entire 877 kilometres-long border with Syria porous for
the NATO-backed mercenaries who have been using it as a highway. In
many areas along the Syrian border, fences and concrete barriers were
removed and roads were stabilized to allow the passage of all sorts
of vehicles, including those rigged with bombs.1
Furthermore, with hindsight, the motive behind the removal of some
615,000 landmines on the Syrian border was to ease the passage of
mercenaries as well as military and intelligence officials of Turkey's
and allied NATO countries' security forces. Planted with NATO's support
between 1957-1959, the activities to remove these landmines began
in 2007, for which the help of NATO's Maintenance and Supply Agency
(NAMSA) was sought in 2009.10,11,12 Likewise, lifting mutual visa
requirements with Syria in 2009 allowed Turkey to prepare the ground
for destabilizing its neighbour.13 In November 2013, Syria's Deputy
Foreign Minister Fayssal Mikdad accused Turkey of letting terrorists
from 83 countries to enter Syria to topple the government.14
Over the few months, mercenaries from Kosovo, the Balkans and other
European countries had been deployed in Yayladagi and Samandag
countryside in preparation for a cross-border offensive on the
predominantly Armenian town of Kasab.15 Seven villages on Turkey's
border with Syria were evacuated and allocated to the mercenaries.16
Just before the offensive, power outages occurred along the route
through which military vehicles moved towards the Syrian border.17
According to the local villagers, on March 21, backed up by the heavy
artillery fire of the Turkish Armed Forces, over 1500 mercenaries
launched a coordinated assault from at least five separate points
across Turkey's border with Syria. They were directly commanded
by NATO's radar base on Keldagi (Mount Aqraa) on the border and
supported by the Turkish Armed Forces. 18,19,15 The mercenaries used
pick-up trucks fitted with anti-aircraft weapons, tanks belonging to
the Turkish Armed Forces, vehicles loaded with heavy weaponry and
lorries.19,20 The primary and initial assault was the one launched
from the Yayladagi border gate to the opposite Kasab border gate,
during which masked Turkish special forces troops killed 15 Syrian
border guards.20,21
Turkish Armed Forces are giving cover to the mercenaries through
mortar, artillery and rocket shelling across the border by armored
vehicles and coordinated heavy machine-gun fire by helicopters. They
are also using long-range assassination weapons and intercepting the
communication of the Syrian Army.22,23,24,15 This report by Alalam
describes how Turkish Armed Forces' tanks pounded Syria's military
bases in Kasab:
"[A] huge explosion was heard at a Syrian army base near Kasab after
Turkish military targeted the area. The explosion has been followed
with Turkish military firing several other rockets at Syrian army
bases [...] Al-Qaeda's al-Nusra Front have raised their flags over
several Turkish military tanks near Kasab, as a sign of having the
area under their control."25 The 'huge explosion', whose impact was
felt from 15 kilometres, was caused by a missile fired from Turkey.20
Furthermore, according to a Syrian general taking part in this battle,
Turkish Armed Forces were among the mercenary forces attacking the
strategic hilltop 'Observatory 45' in Kasab.26
The majority of the mercenaries fighting in Kasab are of Chetchen,
Albanian, Saudi and Turkish origin.18 Ambulances are regularly crossing
Turkey's border with Syria to collect the wounded mercenaries and
transport them to hospitals across Turkey's Hatay province.17 In fact,
local protestors in Hatay's Harbiye district blocked the paths of
those ambulances.27
On the other hand, by refusing entry to the mercenaries fleeing the
attacks of the Syrian army, Turkey's border guards are forcing them to
continue the fighting.17On the fifth day of the offensive on Kasab,
mercenaries based in the towns of Yayladagi, Altinozu, Antakya,
Reyhanli, Osmaniye and other areas were still being deployed to
Turkey's border with Syria.18
The Syrian army was caught off guard as they were not expecting such
an overt and extreme military aggression from Turkey.19 Nevertheless,
Syria's government still exhibits utmost restraint:
"[Syrian] Foreign and Expatriates Ministry called on Wednesday26
[26 March] in two identical letters to the UN Secretary-General and
Chairman of the UN Security Council to take all measures required
to condemn the Turkish involvement in supporting the armed terrorist
groups which attacked Kasab district from Liwa Iskenderun [i.e. Hatay
province] and to compel the Turkish government to stop its aggression.
"Syrian government has drawn the attention of the UN Secretary-General
[Ban Ki-moon] and chairmen of the UN Security Council during the past
three years to the acts and violations committed by the Turkish
government against Syria's security and stability through the
Turkish involvement in organizing, receiving, funding and hosting
tens of thousands of terrorists from various takfiri movements and
facilitating their entry into the Syrian territories and giving them
background bases on the Turkish territories.
"After the failure of the attempts of the Turkish regime to undermine
Syria, the Turkish army moved by Turkish prime minister [Erdogan]'s
instructions to launch flagrant aggression on Syria as the Turkish
army's tanks and artillery took part directly in the attack on Kasab,
north of Syria, and its surrounding "[said Syrian Foreign Ministry]"28
The Syrian government said that Turkish Armed Forces' overt military
participation for the first time represents a dangerous escalation"29:
"Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Ja'afari told reporters
outside the UN Security Council on Wednesday [26 March] that Turkey
was facilitating attacks against Syrian forces by al-Qaeda-linked
terrorist groups through the country's northern borders and the
Israeli regime was doing the same in the occupied Golan Heights.
"Ja'afari added that Syria has been the target of an orchestrated joint
military operation conducted by the Turkish government and the Israeli
regime as well as the terrorist groups operating both along Syria's
northern border and its southern border." 30 As the offensive on Kasab
entered its fourth week, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad
has strongly condemned the United Nations' deliberate and consistent
policy of ignoring the existence of terrorism in Syria since Spring
2011 and made the following remark about the ongoing offensive:
"The massacres of Erdogan government-backed terrorist groups against
the residents of Kassab town are still a living example that appeals
to every UN official to feel ashamed of having turned into a tool
for supporting terrorism"31 The downing of the Syrian military jet
On the second day of the offensive on Kasab, a drone belonging to
the Turkish Armed Forces was shot down by the Syrian army as it was
flying over Kasab. This was one was among the drones and fighter
jets used by the Turkish Air Force to collect intelligence for the
mercenaries on the ground and intercept the communication of the
Syrian army. Turkey's politicians and media remained silent over this
incident as the location where the drone crashed was 1,5 kilometres
inside Syrian territory.18
On March 23, NATO radar base in Keldagi (Mount Aqraa) blocked a Syrian
MIG-23 military jet's contact with the air control tower. While flying
over Kasab, the jet was hit by a missile fired from Turkey. Having
survived the attack, the pilot of the Syrian jet gave a statement:
"The Syrian pilot whose aircraft was shot down in Kasab area on
Saturday said that a Turkish aircraft fired a missile at him while
he was pursuing terrorists within Syrian territories. The pilot told
Syrian TV that he was carrying out a mission of pursuing terrorists
within Syrian territories, more than 7 kilometers away from the
borders, and after arriving at the target's location, establishing
visual contact, and carrying out his mission, he turned around to
return to base when a rocket fired by a Turkish aircraft hit his
aircraft, so he left it using the ejector seat. He asserted his
target was within Syrian territories and he parachuted inside Syrian
territories"32 The downing of the Syrian military jet was broadcast
live by Turkey's private TV channel Haberturk from the border area
which is forbidden military zone.20 This reveals the pre-meditated
nature of this specific act of war. During his speech at a local
election rally, Prime Minister Erdogan blatantly lied by claiming
that Turkey's airspace had been violated:
"Around 12:15pm today yet another Hashasi [assassin], a Syrian plane
has violated our borders, our airspace. Our F-16 [jets] took off and
hit this plane. Why? Because if you violate my airspace, our slap
will be hard after that. So, I would like to congratulate the head
of the Turkish Armed Forces [Necdet Ozel] in particular, our Armed
Forces, those honourable pilots of ours and our Air Force in your
presence."33 By making a historical reference to the 'Hashasi' sect,
Mr Erdogan tried to demonize both Syria and Iran.
True to form, the U.S. State Department declared its overt support
for this act of war by Turkey:
"We are committed to Turkey's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We
note that the Turkish Government has been fully transparent about the
rules of engagement it is operating under"34 Local elections in Turkey
On the eve of the March 21 offensive on Kasab, Turkey's Deputy Prime
Minister Besir Atalay implicated the Syrian state in a shooting attack
in Nigde, which is located some 400 kilometres from the Syrian border:
"The word Syrian was mentioned in the briefing [note] I was given. The
martyrdom of a soldier and a police officer of ours in the run up
to the [local] elections is a very grave incident. It may be that
some are trying to spoil the election atmosphere."35 The next day,
it turned out that, the perpetrators were two Albanians and a Kosovar
mercenaries who were on their way back from fighting in the ranks of
the 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' against the Syrian state.36
On March 14, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu rehashed Turkey's threat
of launching a 25-kilometres border incursion of into Syria to defend
a 10,000 square metres enclave that belongs to Turkey37:
"Any kind of attack towards there [i.e. the Suleiman Shah Tomb] which
might come from the [Syrian] regime, the radical groups or another
place would be equally retaliated and Turkey would take all sorts of
precautions, without any hesitation, for the defense of that national
territory."38 Actually, as early as May 2011, a somewhat similar
scenario was disclosed by the relentless propagandist Robert Fisk39 :
"Turkish generals have thus prepared an operation that would send
several battalions of Turkish troops into Syria itself to carve out a
"safe area" for Syrian refugees inside Assad's caliphate. The Turks
are prepared to advance well beyond the Syrian border town of Al
Qamishli â?" perhaps half way to Deir el-Zour [...] to provide a
"safe haven" for those fleeing the slaughter in Syria's cities."40
Three days before the March 30 local elections, the audiotapes of a
meeting between Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, National Intelligence
Organization (MIT) director Hakan Fidan and the deputy head of the
Turkish Armed Forces Yasar Guler was 'leaked' on YouTube.41 According
to the transcript of the YouTube video, MIT director Fidan suggested
staging a false flag attack on the aforementioned Tomb of Suleiman
Shah to provide a justification for a possible war with Syria.42
Mr Erdogan implied that the leak was a U.S.-hatched conspiracy against
his government and Turkey's sovereignty. In a speech delivered after
winning the local elections, he referred to those whom he accuses
of collaborating:
"How [dare] you threaten our national security? Turkey is currently in
a state of war with Syria. They are harassing our airplanes. The 10,000
square metres [land] of the Tomb of Suleiman Shah is our territory,
[so] any attack on it is an attack on the 780,000 square metres
[territory of Turkey]. Can we remain silent to this? The traitors
eavesdropped this meeting and then leaked it to the world. They
are even worse than the Hashasis."43 Mr Erdogan's insinuation of
a U.S.-hatched conspiracy is lent credence by the leading global
media corporation's depiction of Erdogan, since the beginning of
the anti-government protests in May 2013, as a leader who is deeply
hostile to Western values and liberties. The motive behind this
domestic and global disinformation campaign is to obfuscate the Erdogan
government's utmost complicity in the NATO-led genocidal war on Syria,
not to mention the war crimes against Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan.
It is also worth noting that YouTube is notorious for censoring
material that exposes the crimes against the people and government
of Syria, whilst systematically promoting anti-Syria propaganda.44
Actually, this "leak" is a highly sophisticated WikiLeaks-style
psy-ops which seeks to divert attention away from the utterly criminal
cross-border offensive on Kasab by NATO-backed mercenary forces and the
Turkish Armed Forces. Furthermore, on April 1 the Syrian government
has revealed that the aim of the offensive on Kasab is to keep the
Syrian army busy so that the mercenary forces in Damascus could carry
out a false-flag chemical attack45 :
"Syria's Permanent Representative to the UN Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari
said that terrorist groups are planning to launch attacks using
chemical weapons in Jobar area to accuse the Syrian government of it
, as indicated by a phone call between terrorists monitored by the
authorities. [...]
"There's nothing called international community, unfortunately,"
al-Jaafari said, "we directed two letters to the Security Council to
have the countries that keep talking about the threats of chemical
weapons to pressure the countries sponsoring and funding these
terrorist groups â?" specifically the Turkish, Saudi, and Qatari
governments â?" to prevent such terrorist acts by pressuring these
gangs and terrorist gangs," adding that now this matter is in the
hands of the [U.N.] Security Council. [...]
"These terrorist groups came from Turkish territories and were covered
by Turkish artillery, tanks and aircrafts so that they aren't engaged
by the Syrian Army in that area, with the purpose of the Turkish
military involvement being an attempt to distract the Syrian Army form
these terrorist groups so that they may commit their heinous acts," he
said.46 Over the last three years, Turkey and its NATO-led allies have
totally exposed themselves and exhausted their credibility by blatantly
resorting to all sorts of false-flag attacks imaginable against Syria
in order to topple President Bashar al-Assad and/or instigate a war.
In fact, Turkey has a long history of false flag attacks on Syria,
including a failed assassination attempt on the then-President Hafez
al-Assad in 1996.47 A selection of news reports from 2011 and 2013
below offer a glimpse of Turkey's utmost criminality.
Flashback to 2011
In late March 2011, only two weeks after the launch of the NATO-led
covert war on Syria, CIA director Leon Panetta secretly visited
Turkey's border with Syria.48 A month later, Turkish newspaper Sabah
announced Panetta's visit and CIA's cooperation with Turkey over Syria:
"CIA Director Leon Panetta made a surprise visit to Turkey at the
end of March [2011]. Panetta's 5 day visit to Ankara was hidden from
the public opinion as a top secret. [...] Panetta met with Turkey's
National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Hakan Fidan, as well as
officials from the government and the General Staff of Turkish Armed
Forces. [...] During the consultations, it was pointed out that
Syria is at a "critical threshold" [...] that the country would be
dragged into chaos if Assad doesn't take urgent steps. Details of
what was described as Turkey's "classified" [plan] concerning Syria
were also discussed. It has been pointed out that the "classified"
[plan] entails regime change in Syria"49 The following day, Sabah
revealed Turkey's plan for toppling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad:
"In the face of the escalation of events in Syria, Turkey [has decided]
to launch its classified "Plan B" instead of its Plan A which envisaged
Assad to remain in power. "Plan B" covers the possibilities of chaos,
civil war and migration. [...] [The border provinces of] Hatay,
Sanliurfa, Kilis and Mardin have been designated for [setting up]
reception camps and field hospitals."50 What is particularly striking
is that this plan of setting up five refugee camps (including two in
Hatay) along some 600 kilometres-long segment of the Syrian border
was conceived before any violent incident occurred in north Syria.
On May 31st, 2011 Turkey hosted a three-day 'regime change' conference
in a five-star hotel in Antalya with the participation of some 300
members of the Syrian opposition.51,52
The first major false flag attack of the NATO-led covert war on Syria
was orchestrated through the military and intelligence cooperation of
the U.S. and Turkey. On June 6, 2011, 120 Syrian soldiers were brutally
massacred by the Muslim Brotherhood mercenaries in the town of Jisr
al-Shughour, located 10 kilometres from the border with Turkey.53 At
the time, this report by SANA was largely ignored by the mainstream
and alternative media alike:
"The Syrian TV broadcast photos of the brutal massacres perpetrated by
organized armed terrorist groups against the civilians and the army,
police and security forces groups in Jisr al-Shughour in the province
of Idleb.
"Members of the terrorist groups used government cars and military
uniform to commit their crimes of killing, terrifying people and
sabotaging. They filmed themselves committing vandalism acts to
manipulate the photos and videos and distort the reputation of the
[Syrian] army.
"The terrorists attacked police and security centers as well as
other governmental and private institutions, violated the streets,
neighborhoods and houses and used rooftops to sniper and shoot at
citizens and security forces. [...]
"They also set up ambushes for police and security forces, mutilated
the bodies of some martyrs and threw the bodies of others into the
Orontes River, in addition to putting barriers on the roads and
terrifying people.
"The groups members also kidnapped a number of the martyrs' bodies
and buried them in the ground to later promote them as if they are
mass graves with the help of the channels they are working with in
inciting against Syria. [...]
"The number of the martyrs of police and security members exceeded
120 until Monday evening, who were killed at the hands of the armed
terrorist groups in Jisr al-Shughour."54
These two reports by Press TV provide details of Turkey's complicity
in the Jisr al-Shughour massacre:
"According to informed sources in Damascus that cited an unspecific
classified report, the "unprecedented intensification" of unrest in
Syria stems from deals between Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and some unknown groups in the region.55
"The Syrian government says the weapons used during clashes in Jisr
al-Shughour were smuggled into the country from Turkey and that some
members of the terrorist groups behind days of deadly clashes in the
town have escaped to Turkey.
"Meanwhile, [Syrian] state TV broadcast a phone call between two
members of the armed groups who committed terrorist acts in Jisr
al-Shughour region, revealing that the armed men are planning to
leave the area for Turkey as displaced local citizens."56
Turkish Armed Forces troops crossed into Syria through the border under
the guise of helping the fleeing civilians.53 The Jisr al-Shughour
massacre occurred six days before the 2011 general elections in
Turkey. Prime Minister Erdogan has fully capitalised in the ensuing
migration to Turkey:
"Syria is practically a domestic issue for us, I have said this many
times. [...] Currently there are [people] entering Turkey through the
Altinozu [district]. [...] We really cannot close our gates to people
fleeing for their lives and seeking refuge in Turkey. We have to let
them in. [...] [Assad's brother Maher] is chasing after savagery. This
[situation] is inevitably leading to the United Nations Security
Council's involvement"57 Flashback to 2013
The NATO-led coalition of countries had nearly succeeded instigating
a war with Syria after NATO-backed mercenaries massacred civilians by
launching a chemical false flag attack in East Ghouta on August 21,
2013.58 Editor Yossef Bodansky sheds some light on Turkey's role in
this mind-boggling conspiracy:
"On August 13-14, 2013, Western-sponsored opposition forces in
Turkey started advance preparations for a major and irregular
military surge. Initial meetings between senior opposition military
commanders and representatives of Qatari, Turkish, and US Intelligence
["Mukhabarat Amriki"] took place at the converted Turkish military
garrison in Antakya, Hatay Province, used as the command center
and headquarters of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and their foreign
sponsors. Very senior opposition commanders who had arrived from
Istanbul briefed the regional commanders of an imminent escalation
in the fighting due to "a war-changing development" which would,
in turn, lead to a US-led bombing of Syria.
"The opposition forces had to quickly prepare their forces for
exploiting the US-led bombing in order to march on Damascus
and topple the Bashar al-Assad Government, the senior commanders
explained. [...] [U]nprecedented weapons distribution started in all
opposition camps in Hatay Province on August 21-23, 2013. In the
Reyhanli area alone, opposition forces received well in excess of
400 tons of weapons [...] which were distributed from store-houses
controlled by Qatari and Turkish Intelligence under the tight
supervision of US Intelligence."59
According to Mihrac Ural, the leader of the Latakia-based popular
anti-imperialist militia force 'Syrian Resistance' (Muqawamat
al-Suriyah), shortly before the false-flag chemical attack in East
Ghouta, a similar plot had been foiled. Mr Ural sums up the testimony
of a Dutch-Kurdish mercenary who is originally from Turkey and who was
captured by the Syrian Resistance on August 16, 2013 whilst fighting
in the Latakia countryside:
"[Turgay Yasar] explained that he brought the sarin gas from the
Netherlands [to Turkey] via the VIP section [under the auspices of]
the authorities from [Turkey's ruling] Justice and Development Party
(AKP) and handed them over to the al-Nusra Front. [He also disclosed
that although the NATO-backed mercenaries] had made preparations to
deploy the sarin gas on the Alawite [civilians] during the ongoing
battles in the Latakia countryside, they haven't had the opportunity in
the face of a series of resounding victories by [the Syrian Resistance
and the Syrian army]"60 Conclusion
All the available evidence indicates that U.S., U.K., Israel, Turkey,
France and Saudi Arabia meticulously planned the genocidal covert
war on Syria for years before actually launching it in 2011. Right
from the beginning, Turkey has been at the epicenter of this war in
every possible respect. In the face of the increasingly brutal and
reckless attacks across all of its land borders, the Syrian state,
army and people have been displaying an outstanding resistance,
courage and solidarity.
As the prospect of a decisive victory by the Syrian army becomes ever
more certain, the orchestrators of this genocide are disseminating
all sorts of propaganda on a global scale to obfuscate and cover
up their monumental war crimes. However, Turkey and NATO's overt
participation in the ongoing cross-border offensive on Kasab provides
an incontrovertible evidence of these crimes for those who seek peace
and justice for Syria and the entire humanity.
Cem Ertur is an independent researcher and peace activist, currently
based in Istanbul. Some of his work is published at Global Research and
all his Propaganda Alerts since November 2011 are published on Indybay.
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27 March 2014
Mikdad: UN turned int'l terrorism into its spoiled son, just like
Israel, SANA, 5 April 2014
Syrian pilot: My aircraft was shot down by Turkish aircraft within
Syrian airspace, SANA, 24 March 2014
Turk F-16'lari Suriye ucagini vurdu, Anadolu Ajansi, 23 March 2014
Daily Press Briefing, U.S. Department of State website, 24 March 2014
Hukumet'ten Nigde'deki saldiriyla ilgili ilk aciklama, Besir Atalay:
Bana gelen bilgilerde 'Suriye' notu var, Haberturk, 20 March 2014
[excerpt transcribed from video by the author]
Nigde zanlilari El Kaide listesinde, by Fevzi Kizilkoyun, Radikal,
22 March 2014
Turkey: NATO's Neo-Ottoman Spearhead in the Middle East, by Rick
Rozoff, Stop NATO, 7 August 2012
Davutoglu: O turbeye saldirirsaniz..., Hurriyet, 14 March 2014
Robert Fisk's anti-Syria propaganda, by Cem Ertur, Indybay, 30
April 2011
Who cares in the Middle East what Obama says? by Robert Fisk, The
Independent, 30 May 2011
Media Neglect Turkish False Flag Attack Leak And Its Implications,
Moon of Alabama, 28 March 2014
Ses kaydina göre, Suriye ile savas cikarmaya calismislar, Evrensel,
27 March 2014
Basbakan Erdogan'dan balkon konusmasi, Turkiye, 31 March 2014
Youtube covers up militants' crimes against Syrian nation: Analyst,
interview with Mimi Laham, Press TV, 5 March 2013
Identical letters dated 25 March 2014 from the Permanent Representative
of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations addressed to the
Secretary General and the President of the Security Council, United
Nations website, 1 April 2014
Al-Jaafari: Terrorists planning to launch chemical attack on Jobar
to accuse the government , SANA, 1 April 2014
Turkish Delight, by Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times, 16 June 1996
'Syria armed groups flee to Turkey', Press TV, 9 June 2011
CIA Baskani'ndan 'cok gizli' ziyaret, by Yahya Bostan, Sabah, 26
April 2011
Suriye icin B plani, Sabah, 27 April 2011
Assad opponents decide to support regime change in Syria, Today's
Zaman, 3 June 2011
Syrian activists demand Assad hand over power 'immediately', by Liz
Sly, Washington Post, 3 June 2011
A "Humanitarian War" on Syria? Military Escalation., Towards a Broader
Middle East-Central Asian War? by Prof Michel Chossudovsky, Global
Research, 9 August 2011
Photos of Brutal Massacres against Army, Police and Security Forces
Perpetrated by Armed Terrorist Groups in Jisr al-Shugour, SANA,
8 June 2011
'Turkey behind Syria unrest', Press TV, 9 June 2011
'Syrian troops enter Jisr al-Shughour', Press TV, 10 June 2011
Turkey's final warning to Syria: Tomorrow may be too late for reforms,
by Cem Ertur, Indybay, 18 June 2011
The Ghouta Chemical Attacks: US-Backed False Flag?, Killing Syrian
Children to Justify a "Humanitarian" Military Intervention, by
Julie Levesque and Prof Michel Chossudovsky, Global Research, 25
September 2013
Did the White House Help Plan the Syrian Chemical Attack?, by Yossef
Bodansky, Global Research, 1 September 2013
"Sarin Gazini Ak Partili yetkilinin yardimiyla El-Nusra'ya ulastirdik",
Cesim Ilhani's interview with Mihrac Ural, 7Sabah, 4 December 2013