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Wiretaps reveal Turkey's involvement in Kessab
11:19, 19 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
(Al-Monitor) - Media reports based on eyewitness and opposition
sources saying that Turkey has become a party to the civil war in
Syria have found their way into court proceedings. During the trial of
the Islamic State (IS) militants who attacked Turkish security forces
at Nigde last year, court files revealed that Turkey, beyond supplying
opposition forces with weapons and ammunition, had also given
artillery support to the opposition groups that captured Kessab. The
prosecutor obtained striking admissions by tapping the defendants'
phones. According to documents obtained by Ahmet Sik of Cumhuriyet,
the wiretapping transcripts reveal that the opposition forces at
Kessab informed people in Turkey of the coordinates of Syrian army
positions around Kessab, after which Turkish forces shelled those
locations.
On March 21, armed Syrian opposition groups entered Turkey from five
different crossings and re-entered Syria at the Yayladag border
crossing and captured Kessab.
In addition to armed Turkmen groups, al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate
Jabhat al-Nusra, the Islamic Front's most prominent group Ahrar
al-Sham, IS-affiliated Shukur el-Izz, Sham el Islam (established by
former Guantanamo prisoner Moroccan Ibrahim Binshekrun) and Ansar
al-Islam, which has links both to al-Qaeda and IS, took part in the
operation to capture Kessab. As clashes continued around Kessab on
March 23, a Syrian warplane was shot down by a missile fired from
Turkey for violating Turkish airspace. In June 2014, when President
Bashar al-Assad's army recaptured Kessab, including the high ground
known as Feature 45, the Turkish army fired on the Syrian side. The
Turkish government and military persistently said all firing on Syria
after the changed rules of engagement following the shooting down of
the Turkish jet were in retaliation for border violations on the
Turkish side. The Turkish Foreign Ministry rejected the accusation,
saying, "All claims that Turkey has been supporting the opposition
forces by allowing them to use Turkish territory or in any other way
are totally baseless."
Wiretaps tell another story
The information collected from the Nigde assailants' tapped phones
contradicted official statements. According to the recordings, Adil
Orli, the commander of the Bayir Bucak Turkmen Front, sends the
coordinates through his brother Ayhan Orli to Mehmet Toktas, the
president of the Yayladag Youth Association. In a conversation on June
7, Ayhan Orli reports that he had sent via Whatsapp the coordinates of
seven targets he had received from Adil Orli. He says, "Firing was
useful. Our friends solved the rest of the problems. But there are
still seven locations. If you fire once on each, that will be enough."
Toktas answers, "Seven locations OK. Tell everyone to stay on defense
in the coming moments."
The two also talk of military assistance. Orli complains of a shortage
of ammunition. Toktas says, "Let me talk to Ankara once more to see
what is happening. Without ammunition, nothing can be done."
In a conversation on June 14, someone called Yasar Benli asks Ayhan
Orli to arrange for the shelling of the Syrian regime's units deployed
around the cell towers on Feature 45. A short time later, Ayhan Orli
tells Toktas, "There are many soldiers on Syriatel Hill. It will be
good if you can hit them." He gives a description of the target.
On June 13, a Turkmen from the front line asks Ayhan Orli to help some
surrounded fighters cross into Turkey. Orli calls sub-governor of
Yayladag, Turan Yilmaz.
Orli: There are 20-30 men at Arfal. Can you help them cross the border?
Yilmaz: You mean now, 20-30 people? Where are they now?
Orli: At Arfal.
Yilmaz: Will they cross from near 45?
Orli: Yes, from 45.
Yilmaz: Done.
After the court documents became public, Turan Yilmaz said, "We acted
according to directives."
Main opposition Republican People's Party deputy Umut Oran brought the
issue of the Turkish army's artillery support to the parliament and
asked Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, "Why did the Turkish army open
fire on an area in Syria for no apparent reason? Doesn't this put
Turkey in a position it can't explain and rectify?"
Weapons did not go to Turkmens, but to Ansar
The court documents contain remarks that reinforce suspicions about
Turkey's help to radical groups in the form of arms shipments. In a
conversation between Ayhan Orli and President of the Syrian Turks
Association Ahmet Sirin (alias Ahmad Ohrin), they say weapons sent
from Turkey have actually gone to Ansar al-Islam.
Ansar al-Islam generally operates jointly with Jabhat al-Nusra. When
Orli says they have run out of ammunition, Sirin asks, "What happened
to those weapons that have gone to Ansar?" Orli replies, "I don't
know. You have to ask those who delivered the weapons to Ansar."
In another conversation on June 14, when Orli was saying that the
situation at Kassab was not going well, Bayir Bucak Brigade Commander
Col. Ahmed Arnavut (alias Aziz Kikhia) asks, "Where are those guys who
received the trucks? Orli says, "They are not around."
The same day, Orli complains of an ammunition shortage to Samir Hafez,
the general coordinator of the Syrian Turkmen Groups. Hafez says, "We
haven't received anything for a year. You think it will come now?"
Orli retorts, "You mean, we are up for sale?"
The issue of weapons assistance to Turkmens found its way to the
national agenda when three trucks loaded with rockets were stopped at
Adana. According to the deposition of one driver, the trucks, which
belong to Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT), were to
enter Syria through the Cilvegozu border crossing. Bab al-Hawa,
opposite Turkey's Cilvegozu gate, is controlled by the Islamic Front
and Jabhat al-Nusra. But the Turkish government insists the assistance
was going to Turkmens.
http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/02/19/wiretaps-reveal-turkeys-involvement-in-kessab/
11:19, 19 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
(Al-Monitor) - Media reports based on eyewitness and opposition
sources saying that Turkey has become a party to the civil war in
Syria have found their way into court proceedings. During the trial of
the Islamic State (IS) militants who attacked Turkish security forces
at Nigde last year, court files revealed that Turkey, beyond supplying
opposition forces with weapons and ammunition, had also given
artillery support to the opposition groups that captured Kessab. The
prosecutor obtained striking admissions by tapping the defendants'
phones. According to documents obtained by Ahmet Sik of Cumhuriyet,
the wiretapping transcripts reveal that the opposition forces at
Kessab informed people in Turkey of the coordinates of Syrian army
positions around Kessab, after which Turkish forces shelled those
locations.
On March 21, armed Syrian opposition groups entered Turkey from five
different crossings and re-entered Syria at the Yayladag border
crossing and captured Kessab.
In addition to armed Turkmen groups, al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate
Jabhat al-Nusra, the Islamic Front's most prominent group Ahrar
al-Sham, IS-affiliated Shukur el-Izz, Sham el Islam (established by
former Guantanamo prisoner Moroccan Ibrahim Binshekrun) and Ansar
al-Islam, which has links both to al-Qaeda and IS, took part in the
operation to capture Kessab. As clashes continued around Kessab on
March 23, a Syrian warplane was shot down by a missile fired from
Turkey for violating Turkish airspace. In June 2014, when President
Bashar al-Assad's army recaptured Kessab, including the high ground
known as Feature 45, the Turkish army fired on the Syrian side. The
Turkish government and military persistently said all firing on Syria
after the changed rules of engagement following the shooting down of
the Turkish jet were in retaliation for border violations on the
Turkish side. The Turkish Foreign Ministry rejected the accusation,
saying, "All claims that Turkey has been supporting the opposition
forces by allowing them to use Turkish territory or in any other way
are totally baseless."
Wiretaps tell another story
The information collected from the Nigde assailants' tapped phones
contradicted official statements. According to the recordings, Adil
Orli, the commander of the Bayir Bucak Turkmen Front, sends the
coordinates through his brother Ayhan Orli to Mehmet Toktas, the
president of the Yayladag Youth Association. In a conversation on June
7, Ayhan Orli reports that he had sent via Whatsapp the coordinates of
seven targets he had received from Adil Orli. He says, "Firing was
useful. Our friends solved the rest of the problems. But there are
still seven locations. If you fire once on each, that will be enough."
Toktas answers, "Seven locations OK. Tell everyone to stay on defense
in the coming moments."
The two also talk of military assistance. Orli complains of a shortage
of ammunition. Toktas says, "Let me talk to Ankara once more to see
what is happening. Without ammunition, nothing can be done."
In a conversation on June 14, someone called Yasar Benli asks Ayhan
Orli to arrange for the shelling of the Syrian regime's units deployed
around the cell towers on Feature 45. A short time later, Ayhan Orli
tells Toktas, "There are many soldiers on Syriatel Hill. It will be
good if you can hit them." He gives a description of the target.
On June 13, a Turkmen from the front line asks Ayhan Orli to help some
surrounded fighters cross into Turkey. Orli calls sub-governor of
Yayladag, Turan Yilmaz.
Orli: There are 20-30 men at Arfal. Can you help them cross the border?
Yilmaz: You mean now, 20-30 people? Where are they now?
Orli: At Arfal.
Yilmaz: Will they cross from near 45?
Orli: Yes, from 45.
Yilmaz: Done.
After the court documents became public, Turan Yilmaz said, "We acted
according to directives."
Main opposition Republican People's Party deputy Umut Oran brought the
issue of the Turkish army's artillery support to the parliament and
asked Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, "Why did the Turkish army open
fire on an area in Syria for no apparent reason? Doesn't this put
Turkey in a position it can't explain and rectify?"
Weapons did not go to Turkmens, but to Ansar
The court documents contain remarks that reinforce suspicions about
Turkey's help to radical groups in the form of arms shipments. In a
conversation between Ayhan Orli and President of the Syrian Turks
Association Ahmet Sirin (alias Ahmad Ohrin), they say weapons sent
from Turkey have actually gone to Ansar al-Islam.
Ansar al-Islam generally operates jointly with Jabhat al-Nusra. When
Orli says they have run out of ammunition, Sirin asks, "What happened
to those weapons that have gone to Ansar?" Orli replies, "I don't
know. You have to ask those who delivered the weapons to Ansar."
In another conversation on June 14, when Orli was saying that the
situation at Kassab was not going well, Bayir Bucak Brigade Commander
Col. Ahmed Arnavut (alias Aziz Kikhia) asks, "Where are those guys who
received the trucks? Orli says, "They are not around."
The same day, Orli complains of an ammunition shortage to Samir Hafez,
the general coordinator of the Syrian Turkmen Groups. Hafez says, "We
haven't received anything for a year. You think it will come now?"
Orli retorts, "You mean, we are up for sale?"
The issue of weapons assistance to Turkmens found its way to the
national agenda when three trucks loaded with rockets were stopped at
Adana. According to the deposition of one driver, the trucks, which
belong to Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT), were to
enter Syria through the Cilvegozu border crossing. Bab al-Hawa,
opposite Turkey's Cilvegozu gate, is controlled by the Islamic Front
and Jabhat al-Nusra. But the Turkish government insists the assistance
was going to Turkmens.
http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/02/19/wiretaps-reveal-turkeys-involvement-in-kessab/