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Fall Of Kassab Will Be Costly For Turkey

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  • Fall Of Kassab Will Be Costly For Turkey

    FALL OF KASSAB WILL BE COSTLY FOR TURKEY

    AL-Monitor
    March 31 2014

    by Fehim Tastekin
    Radikal (Turkey) - Translated from Turkish

    The Turkish Foreign Ministry has informed the United Nations that a
    camp for 2,000 persons is ready at Mardin for Syrian-Armenians who
    may wish to take refuge in Turkey.

    I was delighted. Then a Christian friend called and asked: "April 24
    is approaching and it is the Armenians again, just as 1915 will be
    observed." I was angry because I couldn't make the connection. Then
    came a statement by our Foreign Ministry: "All claims that Turkey
    supported opposition forces involved in the Kassab clashes by allowing
    them to use Turkish territory or in any other manner are entirely
    baseless."

    Mehmet Ali Edipoglu, a member of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs
    Committee was in Hatay for a while to find out what was happening. He
    sent me an email: "We went to the villages of Gozlekciler and Candir
    as well as the Teknecik outpost. We were stopped by soldiers. We
    were upset by their warnings that our lives could be in danger. But
    in the areas they didn't let us enter and even in the areas used by
    the soldiers, Syrian-plated cars were roaming about. According to
    information from villagers, thousands of fighters coming from Turkey
    crossed the border at at least five different points to launch the
    attack on Kassab. We ourselves observed dozens of Syrian- plated cars
    nonstop transporting terrorists and firing into the Syrian outpost
    from the military road between Gozlekciler village and our military
    base at Kayapinar."

    Among the allegations we heard was one that two tanks and about 30
    semis had crossed the border, in addition to pickup trucks mounted
    with DShK heavy machine guns. According to a hard-to-believe report
    by a reporter for Al-Alam news channel, "The Turkish army shelled
    the Syrian military base near Kassab. ... At Kassab, Jabhat al-Nusra
    hoisted its own flags on Turkish tanks." The prevailing conviction is
    that the Turkish military shot down the Syrian jet to impede Syrian
    air operations against armed groups that captured Kassab.

    Just as we were focusing on Kassab, the tape recording of the meeting
    between Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Undersecretary of Foreign
    Affairs Feridun Sinirlioglu, Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar
    Guler and chief of National Intelligence (MIT) Hakan Fidan surfaced.

    If the recording was authentic, they were talking about measures to be
    taken for the Tomb of Suleiman Shah threatened by the Islamic State
    of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), Syria scenarios, weapons and ammunition
    problems of groups fighting in Syria, ammunition sent to the area
    earlier and results achieved. Their discussions showed how deep Turkey
    has sunk in Syria. They were scary, beyond logic. How then can I be
    surprised by the claims about Kassab?

    At a time when opposition groups defeated at the Qalamoun battles
    were withdrawing to the north and foreign fighters were beginning to
    go back to their countries, their success in Kassab was a gain that
    reinvigorated Jabhat al-Nusra and its ally, the Islamic Front. At
    least, they were able to stand on the shores of the Mediterranean
    they dreamed of and posed for photos. For three years, they couldn't
    cut through the Mediterranean front Latakia to Tartous, because
    it couldn't be done without the logistical and military support of
    Turkey. The daily As-Safir, published in Beirut, wrote about the role
    of foreign intelligence services in the Kassab offensive: "Especially
    Turkish intelligence played a key role in preparations and planning
    of the attack, and supported its implementation." Ibrahim Idlibi, the
    leader of the Lighting Brigade that took part in the offensive, proudly
    explained how they got anti-aircraft weapons and rockets from Turkey.

    We don't know how true these reports are. But when the critical actor
    is Turkey and the target is an Armenian town, then Kassab affairs
    assume different proportions. Although opposition militants said they
    protected the church in Kassab, Egyptian Abu Kathede in his Facebook
    message sent out a photograph of the church saying, "We took down the
    crosses. Our brothers will turn the church to a mosque." Of course,
    the entire Armenian diaspora is talking about this.

    The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) said Armenians
    had been once again forced to flee and asked Congress and the White
    House to put pressure on Turkey. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
    said Turkish soldiers in 1909 and 1915 had tried to deport Armenians
    from Kassab and history was repeating itself.

    Kassab is one rare location where Armenians live as a community. Like
    the Vakif village of Hatay, it is a symbol. They don't find Turkey's
    welcoming them to be convincing. To be honest, Turkey doesn't want the
    Armenians to come and the Armenians don't trust Turkey. We are at a
    critical juncture. The country that will pay the bill for a possible
    disaster in Kassab is known. As April 24 approaches, Turkey will be
    confronted with this issue at every possible opportunity.

    These miscalculated, ill-judged moves in the end may bring Turkey to
    The Hague. With tape recordings or without, someone must answer the
    question posed by Armenian journalist Rober Koptas: "What changed?

    Until yesterday, it was Turkey blocking any attack against Kassab. But
    now, to say the least, it has turned a blind eye to Islamist groups."

    http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2014/03/fall-kassab-syria-costly-turkey.html#

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