Sunday, July 31, 2016
Friday, July 29, 2016
F-16s were aerially refueled 20 times during the failed coup
Radar records from the night of the failed military coup in Turkey indicate that three fuel tankers that took off from Incirlik Air Base refuelled F-16’s at least twenty times.
The first tanker took off from Incirlik Air Base on July 15 at 21:45 pm and returned to the base the next morning at 05:28 am. It flew over Ankara refuelling F-16’s that were participating in the first wave of the failed coup attempt.
The second tanker took off from Incirlik Air Base at 21:50 local time and returned at 06:03 the next morning. The tanker flew over Afyon, Ankara, and Istanbul where jets were flying low over cities at high speeds triggering sonic booms.
The third tanker took off from the base on July 16 04:59 local time and returned 10:42 am. During its 6-hour flight the tanker flew over the Black Sea region and Ankara and provided fuel for F-16’s.
These tankers were responsible for fueling those jets that also dropped bombs in Ankara causing several casualties.
Brigadier General Bekir Ercan Van who was the commanding officer of the 10th Tanker Base Command was arrested and dishonourably discharged from the Turkish Air Force after an investigation by the Adana chief public prosecutor's office. He gave the order for the fuel tankers to provide oil for the F-16s so that they could stay in the air longer in an effort to complete the coup.
The F-16s flying over Istanbul were refuelled over Afyon, and the ones flying over Ankara were provided fuel over Akincilar Air Base. Out of the seven fuel tankers which are stationed at Incirlik Air Base, four were prepared to take part in the coup. Three of them participated, and the fourth fuel tanker was on standby awaiting further orders.
''TRT WORLD''
France may temporarily ban foreign funding for mosques
Following a series of terrorist attacks, the French government is likely to impose a temporary ban on the foreign funding of mosques under a proposed ‘new model’.
Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the proposed ‘new model’ will usher in a new era of relations with Islam where the Imams should be “trained in France, not elsewhere.”
In an interview with the French daily ‘Le Monde’, Manuel Valls said, he was "open to the idea that -- for a period yet to be determined -- there should be no financing from abroad for the construction of mosques."
He said Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve is working on building a "new model" for France's relations with Islam.
"We need to reset and invent a new relationship with Islam in France," Valls said.
The French premier and interior minister are under severe criticism for their responsibility in numerous security lapses. Critics are asking for the resignations of the French PM and his interior minister.
French PM says he is "open" to a temporary ban on foreign financing for mosques in France thedailystar.net/world/french-p…
France has witnessed a number of terrorist attacks recently including the latest on a church in the Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray where an 86-year old priest, Jacques Hamel, was killed.
Two weeks after the Nice attack where 84 people were crushed to death with a bus, terrorists succeeded in executing another attack but this time the target was a church.
Priest killed in attack in Normandy, France, had his throat cut, according to police. on.wsj.com/2an1NeI
The church attackers were on the intelligence watch list and both had attempted to travel to Syria.
The government has been criticised after the revelations that one of the assailants, 19-year-old Adel Kermiche, was recently released with an electronic tag. He was allowed by the court to visit home on weekdays.
French PM Valls acknowledged Kermiche's ease of movement and said,it was a "failure, it has to be recognised", adding that judges needed to take a "different, case-by-case, approach, given the jihadists' very advanced concealment methods".
But he said it was "too easy to hold judges responsible for this act of terrorism."
France is home to around five million Muslims, one of the largest Muslim communities in Europe and has over 2000 mosques.
Local media in France reports that some mosques have been financed by Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states and some North African countries.
Muslims around the world are critical of the French government for many policies they deem to be anti-Muslim, like the ban of head scarves in schools, and veils in public.
'' TRTWorld and agencies''
Some startling revelations have been made showing that weapons shipped into Jordan for Syrian opposition groups by the Washington’s premier intelligence agency winded up at the wrong address.
According to a joint investigation by the New York Times and Al Jazeera, weapons shipped by the Central Intelligence Agency and Saudi Arabia were stolen by Jordanian intelligence operatives and sold to arms merchants on the black market.
Some of the stolen weapons were also used against US citizens as well.
Two US security contractors were killed in a shooting in November at a US-funded police training facility in the Jordanian capital Amman. Three other also died in the same shooting incident.
The facility was set up to help Iraq rebuild its post-war security forces after the 2003 US invasion and to train Palestinian Authority police officers.
Citing American and Jordanian officials, the report disclosed that the weapons used in the shooting had originally arrived in Jordan for the Syrian opposition training programme.
Jordanian officers who are part of the scam earn lump sums of money from the sale of weapons, using the profits to buy iPhones, SUVs and other luxury items, according to the report, which cited Jordanian officials.
The report says that representatives of the CIA and FBI declined to comment. However, the State Department did not address the allegations directly, but a spokesman said US ties with Jordan remained solid.
Mohammad H. al Momani, Jordan’s minister of state for media affairs, said the allegations were “absolutely incorrect.”
“Weapons of our security institutions are concretely tracked, with the highest discipline,” he said.
The investigation report says that Jordanian and US officials revealed the weapons theft and subsequent investigation on the condition of anonymity because the Syrian opposition training programme is classified in the United States and is a government secret in Jordan.
The training programme is run by the CIA and several Arab intelligence services and began directly arming the opposition under the code name Timber Sycamore in 2013.
'' TRTWorld and agencies''
Turkey's embassy in Jordan spreads anti-FETO message
Journalists from various Arab media outlets attended a special press briefing which was held at the Turkish embassy in Amman, Jordan on Thursday.
Turkey's ambassador Sedat Onal, said collected evidence and testimonies of some of the arrested perpetrators proves “the coup attempt was staged by cult leader Fethullah Gulen and his terrorist organisation, FETO."
"The failed attempt revealed the extent to which FETO poses a threat to democracy, peace and stability in Turkey,” Onal said.
He called on Turkey’s regional partners and the international community to take effective measures to prevent the activities of this group in their countries.
“Furthermore, the unequivocal support in both words and deeds of friendly governments and peoples against this heinous plot is expected and will be much appreciated.”
Relating to the state of emergency declared by Turkish government after the coup attempt, the ambassador said that the recent temporary law is only to fight against terrorism in an effective manner.
“Contrary to some claims and speculations in the international media, the state of emergency will not be used as a means to crackdown on political dissent, but to take necessary measures in a speedy and effective manner to bring the perpetrators to justice, dismantle the terrorist network and achieve normalcy as soon as possible.”
Onal also showed journalists video footage from the night of the deadly coup attempt on July 15.
FETO is considered a terror organisation by Turkey, its leader Fetullah Gulen is on Turkey’s most wanted terrorists' list and is accused of establishing and leading a "parallel state," composed of a network of followers who have infiltrated the judiciary, police force, army and other state agencies to control these institutions. An extensive investigation into the organisation began after FETO was accused of attempting to overthrow the democratically elected Turkish government via a judicial coup in December 2013. FETO was also behind the failed July 15 military coup in Turkey, the failed coup attempt resulted in the deaths of at least 246 people and wounded over 2000. Turkey has requested the extrication of Gulen, who is currently in self-imposed exile in the US.
The move comes after a special conference hosted by the Middle East Strategic Research Center was held to better understand the Turkish coup attempt.
Many academics, politicians and Arab think tanks attended the event in Amman to share their views on Gulen and the failed coup.
Author: Özgür Tomakin
Source:
TRTWorld
Top US generals' coup remarks hamper relations with Turkey
Controversial comments on Thursday by US Central Command Commander Gen. Joseph Votel and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper have caused concern and raised suspicion on whether if the US had a role or knew in advance about the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey.
Gen. Joseph Votel speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, a Colorado-based think tank, said some officers whom the US had relationships with have been imprisoned for their role in the coup attempt and added, “We have certainly had relationships with a lot of Turkish leaders -- military leaders in particular. I am concerned about what the impact is on those relationships as we continue.”
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper echoed Gen. Votel’s comments later in the day.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. AFP
Mr Clapper said the failed coup and the government’s response to it have “affected all segments of the national security apparatus in Turkey,” and “Many of our interlocutors have been purged or arrested. There’s no question that this is going to set back and make more difficult the US’s Middle East strategy.”
Votel also expressed concerns that in the long run, the failed coup and Turkey’s efforts to clear the military of coup supporters would have an effect on US operations in the region.
“I am concerned that it will impact the level of cooperation and collaboration that we have with Turkey which has been excellent frankly.”
Votel, noting some limitations on US operations in Incirlik Air Base said the electricity problem at the base in southern Turkish city of Adana has been resolved.
Turkish authorities cut electricity to the base after it was discovered that Turkish forces at Incirlik were involved in the coup, and two tanker aircraft took off from the base to refuel F-16’s involved in the coup. The US used an internal power system to launch aircraft from the base until commercial electricity was restored earlier this week.
US Secretary of State John Kerry had said that the difficulty for US planes accessing Incirlik might have been a result of planes flown in support of the coup using the airbase to refuel. Significantly, one of the commanders of Incirlik Air Base, General Bekir Ercan Van, was among those detained over the failed coup.
Turkish President Erdogan has accused US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen of being the mastermind behind the coup, and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday that ties with the US will be affected if the US does not extradite him.
The controversial comments come after the US State Department spokesperson John Kirby’s press briefing where he said: "Obviously we had no involvement in this."
US State Department Spokesman John Kirby.
"We've made clear that we understand the Turkish government has a right and a responsibility, quite frankly, to their citizens to get to the bottom of this.”
Turkish President Erdogan during his visit to Police Special Forces Command, which was bombed by pro-coup soldiers resulting in 50 police officers losing their lives, in Golbasi, Ankara responded to the comments made by Gen, Joseph Votel. "A high-ranking US general has said ‘our top close allies in the Turkish military have been placed in jail’. One should be more sensitive, the decision to make this type of comment is above you, know your place, who do you think you are? Instead of congratulating and thanking our government for preventing this coup, you choose to stand with the putschists. After all, you are harbouring and abetting the main putschists in your country. You will never convince my people. The people know who is really behind this plot. With these types of statements, you are making it clear where you stand on this matter."
''TRT WORLD''
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