Turkey a main supporter, partner of ISIL – analyst
An analyst says the Turkish government has been a leading “supporter and partner” of the Takfiri ISIL terrorist group in the Mideast region, Press TV reports.
Jeff Steinberg, a senior editor for the Executive Intelligence Review, told Press TV from Washington that Turkey has a long history of supporting the terrorists fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
“There has been longstanding Turkish government support for the ISIL,” Steinberg said.
The analyst further stressed that some Turkish border crossings have remained the main routes for ISIL terrorists to enter Iraq and Syria.
There was also growing evidence that the ISIL was using certain border checkpoints in close coordination with the US and Turkish agents to smuggle oil, gas, agriculture and commercial products in and out of Syria, he added.
“ISIL is selling oil at 40-percent reduced prices to Turkish brokers,” the analyst said.
He said that Turkey has also come under criticism from Washington for its inaction against the terrorist ISIL group.
On October 3, US Vice President Joe Biden said Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have “poured hundreds of millions of dollars” to support the Takfiri groups operating to topple the Damascus government.
The commentator also blamed the US-led coalition against ISIL, which includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar and some Persian Gulf Arab states, for the growing terrorism in their region.
The US began targeting positions held by the ISIL Takfiri terrorists in Iraq in August. Washington also launched a military campaign with its Arab allies against ISIL in Syria in late September.