As America’s presence in Afghanistan draws to a close and the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, it’s worthwhile to consider the countries that sponsor global terrorism and Washington’s response to them.
One country stands out: Turkey.
NATO is purportedly a bulwark against attacks on Western civilization.
Yet NATO member Turkey has long supported ISIS and numerous other anti-Western terrorist organizations.
Turkey has been arming terrorists and sending them into countries such as Syria, Libya, and Azerbaijan.
For example, in 2020 Turkey transported terrorist mercenaries into Azerbaijan, which then deployed them against Armenian-populated Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabagh. These included former ISIS commander Sayf Balud and war criminals such Fehim Isa of the Sultan Murad Brigade.
One hundred bipartisan members of Congress (2021) and the European Union Parliament (2020) have condemned Turkey and Azerbaijan for that.
In contrast, the State Department has said little and done nothing about those two countries’ blatant use of terrorist thugs. Does Washington still have a Global War on Terrorism?
The U.S. is concerned that ISIS-K (an ISIS affiliate) and Al-Qaeda will remain in Afghanistan after America departs and become a threat to America.
Hence, Turkey’s support for ISIS and other terrorists is relevant to the Afghan debacle.
Moreover, Turkish President Erdogan just admitted that he’s comfortable talking to the Taliban “since Turkey has nothing against the Taliban’s beliefs.” The State Department has apparently not reacted to this stunning confession. That’s disturbing.
Turkey’s terrorist record goes back years.
Says Turkey’s counterterrorism chief from 2010-13, Ahmet S. Yayla, “Turkey was a central hub for … over 50,000 ISIS foreign fighters, and the main source of ISIS logistical materials [including] IEDs, making Turkey and ISIS practically allies.”
This makes NATO itself look like an ISIS supporter.
Two studies by veteran State Department adviser Dr. David L. Phillips, who now heads Columbia University’s Peace-building and Human Rights Program, exposed Turkey’s alliance with ISIS: ISIS-Turkey Links (2014) and Turkey-ISIS Oil Trade (2015/2016).
In 2014, Vice President Joe Biden told a Harvard audience that Turkey and others had been giving “hundreds of millions of dollars [and] tons of weapons” to Al-Nusra, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS.
President Obama quickly papered over Turkey’s guilt by forcing Biden to apologize to Erdogan. Again, what happened to the Global War on Terrorism?
This year, in his exposé Turkey: A state sponsor of terrorism?, David Phillips noted that if a “non-NATO country behaved like Turkey, it would warrant designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.”
In January and July, the U.S. Treasury Department fingered Turkey as a financial base for ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
America hasn’t penalized Turkey itself, however, but rather merely some Turkish individuals and companies. No wonder Washington’s efforts —assuming they’re sincere, which is questionable — have been largely ineffective.
Turkey’s longtime backing of terrorist groups raises fundamental questions about U.S. policy.
Have the State Department and covert American actors actually been supporting terrorist organizations in certain cases?
More specifically, while Washington publicly opposes terrorism, do the State Department and CIA silently support terrorist violence that is somehow deemed in America’s interests or that targets countries and regimes considered unfriendly to the U.S.?
We must sadly conclude that the Global War on Terrorism has become a criminal fraud perpetrated on the American people, both civilians and our men and women in uniform, by persons whose names we can only guess.
As the U.S. departs Afghanistan, one wonders whether the blood and treasure spent there were in vain or part of something larger and more sinister.
David Boyajian’s primary foreign policy focus is the Caucasus. His work can be found at http://www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/David_Boyajian.
Beneath the Veil of Consciousness says
Establish a 1:100 Rule. For every one person the Taliban, ISIS, and Al Qaeda murder, kill 100 of them at the time and place of our choosing. I’m sure the citizens of the free world will not object.
BTeboe says
Sounds like a good plan to me. The only way to stop people who would die to see you die is to kill them first.
Infidel says
Yeah, Turkey is now our #2 enemy in the world after China: Russia no longer has that role. Difference is that China is a military and economic powerhouse on its own, whereas Turkey is a regional military power that has plenty of allies – Pakistan, Malaysia, Azerbaijan, Somalia, Yemen, et al
One thing I do wonder: the -stans. Will countries like Tajikistan and Uzbekistan warm up to the Taliban, or would they be wary of them for 2 reason:
– Taliban being a potential inspiration to jihadist opposition in their own countries
– Taliban being an enemy of their ethnic comrades within Afghanistan – the Tajiks and Uzbeks?
Even though the -stans are influenced by both Moscow and Ankara, I doubt that they will follow as enthusiastically the recognition of the Taliban by the above two
gravenimage says
“Uzbek leader says in daily contact with Taliban to ensure security”
https://www.reuters.com/world/uzbek-leader-says-daily-contact-with-taliban-ensure-security-2021-08-27/
Tajikistan says they won’t recognize the Taliban regime–for now, at least.
Infidel says
Yeah, the Northern Alliance, under Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud (son of the Ahmed Shah Massoud) has resurrected in the Panjsher valley. Tajikistan does well to keep its options open
Hank says
“Difference is that China is a military and economic powerhouse on its own”
Not really. They have the support of the CEO’s who have exported more or less the whole Industrial Manufacturing base to China this past 40 years.
Infidel says
Yeah, but moving all that manufacturing capacity out of China even to countries like Vietnam would be a painful exercise. Transition costs usually have an ugly effect on quarterly numbers
gravenimage says
The Afghan Crisis, Turkey, and Washington’s Global War on Terrorism
………………
Yes–Turkey is no ally of ours, and should have been kicked out of NATO decades ago.
Good article from David Boyajian–of Armenian heritage from his surname, a people who have suffered genocide under Islam in Turkey.
Hank says
The West should take the nature of Islam seriously and stop living in a bubble. It should comprehend the dangers of Islam and its false doctrines. Even Russia got its behind lacerated by Islam. China had to open re-education camps.
Armenia is one of the strongholds not infected with the pathogen of Islamic doctrine. Armenian territory was recently usurped with the help of external Islamic mercenary forces but received no military help similar to Afghanistan. Billion upon billions of military equipment was wasted on the enemy instead of moving it to Armenia.
Islam must be expelled like Spain successfully did in the 16th century and during Martin Luther’s time at The Gates of Vienna in 1683. Importing groups of people who carry the Islamic pathogen, people who do not renounce and exit the false doctrine but stick to it, only results in more Islamization. As the Hungarian President stated, “Bring the help there and not the problem here”.
As of today, severe Islamizaton is being imported by dhimmi Western leaders. If this is not stemmed the “Byzantine Empire” experience will repeat itself. “Major losses were incurred during the Arab conquest in the 7th century” until its final demise with the fall of Constantinople on 29 May 1453. “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. 911 and the people behind it is an important reminder of what is going on.
owensgate says
We have just created a legitimate “terror State”; this moment will go down in History as the pivotal moment in 21st Century politics, as Chamberlain’s acquiescence to the 3rd Reich’s annexing the Sudetenland changed the 20th Century.
gravenimage says
Sadly, it was never possible to civilized Afghanistan. The foolish thing was trying.