Turkey's Rogue Regional Agenda

by Stephen Lendman

Turkey threatens regional peace and security, a rogue state run by a fascist despot, Erdogan seeking greater iron-fisted authority than already.

He supports ISIS and other regional terrorist groups, supplying them with weapons and munitions, letting them move freely cross-border to and from Syria and Iraq, waging terror war without mercy on Turkish Kurds.

In late December, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov blasted his regional agenda, saying:

"Well, the Iraqis invited us to move in and we like Iraq, but we are still trying to tell them what is right and what is wrong."  

"As for Syria, (Assad is wrongfully called a) dictator. (His) days are numbered, and we'll keep bombing (its territory) without asking for permission from anyone." 

"This is exactly what the Turks are now saying" - willful misinformation and Big Lies.

"If it hadn't been for this high-nosed attitude by the US-led coalition in Syria, which always knows where the terrorists are and whom to bomb without asking anyone, Turkey would have never acted so arrogantly in Iraq," Lavrov added.

He maintains troops in northern Iraq illegally, on the pretext of fighting terrorism, refusing Baghdad demanding they leave - a willful "hostile act," according to its Foreign Ministry.

He issued a statement alleging ISIS elements attacked Turkish forces in northern Iraq. Baghdad's joint operations command categorically denied any incident occurred.

Erdogan invented one trying to justify illegally maintaining Turkish forces on Iraqi territory - claiming 18 terrorists were killed after attacking the so-called Bashiqa training camp.

No evidence of combat operations exists. Erdogan lied claiming otherwise, standing firm on maintaining Turkish forces in Iraqi territory.

Baghdad rejects their presence. Russia calls it a serious breach of international law. Iraq wants the dispute resolved diplomatically. It hasn't ruled out using military force, "if fighting is imposed on us," according to its Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari.

"We will consider it to protect our sovereignty, people and resources," he stressed. Erdogan's recklessness, including belligerently confronting Russia, risks greater regional violence and instability than already.

Separately, Erdogan's homeland war on freedom rages. On Friday, the pro-Kurdish HDP opposition party's Istanbul office was raided - five officials lawlessly arrested.

The state-controlled Anadolu press agency called the raid, conducted by police and special forces, part of a crackdown on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) youth wing - the latest police state action against Turkish Kurds, viciously targeted for wanting rights everyone deserves.

The raid followed Erdogan's call for legal action against HDP officials. It's Turkey's third largest political party, its members treated like outlaws instead of given the respect they deserve.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

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