Turkey admits downed plane had strayed into Syrian airspace
by Roy Gutman
McClatchy
June 23, 2012
ISTANBUL — Turkey and Syria on Saturday pulled back from a possible confrontation over Syria’s downing of a Turkish fighter jet that had strayed across their common border into Syrian air space Friday. As their respective navies searched for the two missing Turkish crew, both sides said Friday’s clash had been accidental.
A spokesman for the Syrian foreign ministry said the military unit that shot down the Turkish F4Phantom interceptor had not realized the aircraft was Turkish and added: “There was no enmity against Turkey.” Spokesman Jihad Makdisi made the comment to the Turkish state news channel TRT, AP reported.
Earlier Saturday, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said the Turkish incursion into Syrian air space was not deliberate. “It is routine for jet fighters to sometimes fly in and out over borders,” he said. “These are not ill-intentioned things, but happen beyond control due to the jets’ speed.”
It wasn’t clear how or whether Turkey would retaliate. Gul said it was “not possible to cover over a thing like this,” and added: “whatever is necessary will be done.” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s had said Friday night that after completing an investigation, Turkey would “decisively take the next steps.”
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[hat tip: NWO Truth]
Turkish Jet the new Lusitania? [video]
Rys2sense
June 26, 2012
All they ever do is lie lie and lie. How can ANYONE buy their propaganda any longer?
This plot was in Israeli policy papers for years with a map for attacking Iraq and the Syria and then Iran.
Footage Proves Turkish Jet Violated Syrian Airspace [video]
Syrian Girl
June 25, 2012
I Talk to Dr. Ali Mohamad Editor in chief of http://www.syria-tribune.com/en/ that can verify the authenticity a video showing the moment the The turkish F-4 was shot down.
Full Footage here uploaded on the day: http://youtu.be/g0W4QqzaGgc
Higher resolution images can be seen here: http://s1173.photobucket.com/albums/r597/Syriangirl/
The footage shows that low range anti-air batteries were used as apposed to long range surface to air missiles. Although Turkish president abdullah Gul already admitted the Jet violated Syrian airspace Al jazeera and other media are now claiming the Jet was in international airspace . Spokesman for the Syrian foreign Ministry Dr.Jihad Makdissi, said in a press interview a few hours ago that Jet was within Syrian airspace and that Anti-air batteries were used and this video along with Dr.Ali Mohamad clearly supports this claim.
Full Footage here uploaded on the day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0W4QqzaGgc
Media claiming it was downed in international airspace:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/06/201262465711936449.html
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-22/turkish-warplane-lost-over-sea-near-…
http://articles.cnn.com/2012-06-24/middleeast/world_meast_turkey-syria-plane_…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/24/turkey-plane-shot-down-syria
Associated Press Partially Reveals Terrorist Tactics of Syrian Death Squads; Turkey Claims One of its Aircraft Downed Over Syria in Possible Prelude to Gulf of Tonkin Op by NATO to Justify Aggression
Webster G. Tarpley, Ph. D.
Press TV
June 23, 2012
Could the downing of a Turkish jet by Syrian anti-air defenses lead to Article Five invocation? [video included]
A Turkish F4, the same type of fighter jet shot down by Syrian anti-aircraft systems
By Madison Ruppert
Editor of End the Lie
June 22, 2012
The West has tried to push several incidents to justify a foreign intervention in Syria, with the most recent being the alleged Houla massacre which quickly fell apart thanks in part to the BBC using an image from Iraq in an attempt to make readers emotionally react to the incident.
Thankfully, even mainstream media outlets around the world have begun to take notice (see below video) of the lies and misrepresentations that have been the hallmark of the tragic situation in Syria for well over a year now.
Also noteworthy have been the attempts to drudge up Iraq-style chemical weapons claims – which are devoid of any factual basis and nothing but pure, unadulterated propaganda – in order to build popular support for an attack on Syria.
It seems that none of these attempts have worked, but the latest incident might provide the justification that the West has been searching for.
Previously I wrote about how Turkey could invoke Article Five of the North Atlantic Treaty, pulling all of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) into a full-scale attack on Syria.
Thankfully, that never materialized. However, the statements made by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan regarding the downing of a Turkish fighter jet might do just that.
Erdogan stated that the Turkish fighter jet which was reported missing in the region around the Eastern Mediterranean early Friday was actually shot down by Syria, which was later confirmed by Syrian state media outlet SANA according to The Hindu.
Prime Minister Erdogan made this formal allegation after conducting a joint search and rescue operation with Syria.
“It has been understood that our plane has been struck down by Syria,” Prime Minister Erdogan claimed in a written statement issued after an emergency meeting was held with the top figures of the military and government.
“Turkey will announce its final position and take necessary steps with determination after the incident is entirely clarified,” Erdogan further stated without clarifying on any retaliatory measures Turkey might take.
According to a Turkish military statement issued early Friday, the fighter jet lost radio contact with its base somewhere over the Eastern Mediterranean near the Syrian city of Latakia.
SANA reported that the military identified an “unidentified aerial target” flying at high speed and low altitude.
“The Syrian anti-air defenses counteracted with anti-aircraft artillery, hitting it directly,” SANA said. “The target turned out to be a Turkish military plane that entered Syrian airspace and was dealt with according to laws observed in such cases.”
In other words, the Turkish fighter jet breached sovereign Syrian airspace and they reacted like any country under siege would.
With the two pilots of the Turkish jet still missing, the official statement from Turkey stated that they “will determinedly take necessary steps” in response to the Syrian action.
According to The Hindu, some Turkish television reports indicated that the plane was on a reconnaissance flight, while the Turkish military has not provided any details on the jet’s mission.
While Syrian vessels chose to help in the search and rescue mission, they did state that the jet violated the airspace above their territorial waters and that they fired upon the jet before realizing it was Turkish.
Laughably, one commentator, Ilter Turan, a professor of political science at Istanbul’s Bilgi University, claimed that the action was clearly “hostile” even if the jet actually violated Syrian airspace.
“They could have either sent their planes to confront it or force it to land, it is a hostile act by any standard,” Turan claimed.
However, this ignores the fact that Syria feels, understandably I might add, that they might be attacked at any time by surrounding nations or Western forces.
Turan predicted – accurately, in my opinion – that Syria would actually avoid escalating tensions with Turkey.
This is likely since Turkey could quite easily invoke Article Five and thus bring the wrath of NATO, which has had an itchy trigger finger since the destruction of Libya, upon the entire nation of Syria.
Only time will tell but hopefully we will not see any more bloodshed and yet another brutal NATO invasion in the Middle East, or anywhere for that matter.
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Yemenis flee to Aden from heavy fighting, US strikes [video included]
PressTV
June 24, 2012
“The US assassination drone strikes came and destroyed many homes, killing many people inside those homes throughout the province of Abyan. It is enough. We call on the US to stop interfering,” one refugee told Press TV.
Some of the refugees, who have been living in an abandoned old school for a year now, complained about tough living conditions.
U.S. Remains In Gulf With Tens Of Thousands Of Troops
RT
June 20, 2012
US clings onto Gulf with tens of thousands of troops in region
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The build-up of the American contingent in the region is a direct result of Washington withdrawing troops from Iraq in December 2011. The troops and military vehicles did not actually go far: many simply crossed the border with Kuwait and added to the population of the three US bases that serve as logistical hubs, training ranges, and which provide support for regional operations. Besides, the territory of Kuwait is securely covered by Patriot missile batteries stationed there, a vital element of missile defense to be developed in the region, as promised by the US to its allies.
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The latest US Senate Foreign Relations Committee report suggests the US will seek to maintain its position as the only superior military power in the Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf region for the time being.
Despite the troop withdrawal from Iraq, the American military presence in the area is set to expand.
The seven-point report suggests that working in close cooperation with GCC (Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf) states, the US intends to maintain military bases or presence in practically all of those countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Americans call this strategy a “lily pad” model. The US military bases scattered here and there enable the US military command to hold the territory under full control, allowing it to increase military presence in chosen locations at any given time.
In Kuwait alone, where the US has three bases, there are 15,000 troops stationed, including a couple of brigade combat teams and a combat aviation brigade.
Overall in the region there are reportedly 40,000 American servicemen ready for action.
The build-up of the American contingent in the region is a direct result of Washington withdrawing troops from Iraq in December 2011. The troops and military vehicles did not actually go far: many simply crossed the border with Kuwait and added to the population of the three US bases that serve as logistical hubs, training ranges, and which provide support for regional operations. Besides, the territory of Kuwait is securely covered by Patriot missile batteries stationed there, a vital element of missile defense to be developed in the region, as promised by the US to its allies.
If one divides the Persian Gulf lengthwise, it becomes clear that one shore is under tight Washington control, with troops stationed in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Despite the fact that the United States withdrew most troops from Saudi Arabia in 2003, the country remains the biggest American arms buyer. Some 3,000 servicemen of the 64th Air Expeditionary Group are still stationed about 20 km southeast of the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.
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Seven principles of US military policy in the Persian Gulf:
1. The US ensures a “security umbrella” to its Arab allies.
2. The US remains a central part of the Gulf security framework.
3. The US increases trade relations with GCC states to promote economic reform and diversification.
4. The US preserves the “lily pad” model of military bases throughout the Gulf region, which permits the rapid escalation of military force in case of emergency.
5. The US uses the GCC partners’ capabilities in select defensive missions, though keeping its role as a security guarantor.
6. The US provides the Gulf partners with security assistance, supports a comprehensive strategy for regional arms sales and ensures a stable security architecture.
7. The US should promote the gradual political reintegration of Iraq into the Arab fold.
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The other side of the Gulf belongs to a nation that actually gave its ancient name to it – Iran. Since Iran and its nuclear program remain a major stumbling block in international politics, the correct answer to the question “why does Washington need so many combat-ready troops in the Persian Gulf” is Iran. There is simply no other nation in the region that might pose a threat to Washington’s interests in the Middle East.
The Gulf Security Architecture: Partnership with the Gulf Cooperation Council report prepared by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee again stresses the political and economic importance of the region for the US and outlines seven principles for the US military to provide security in the Persian Gulf region.
The US continues to expand its combat-capable presence in the unstable region of the Middle East despite a declared shift of interests to the Asia-Pacific region. Heavy financing of the American contingent in the Gulf region is called to stress that America has not forgotten its Arab allies and that Washington intends to play a military superpower role in the foreseeable future.
