The oddest aspect seems to be that the cleric being blamed/credited as the motivating force behind the coup, Fethullah Gulen, is living in the Pocono Mountains for Pennsylvania. There, of course, is the usual blame/denial circle in process. Turkey says, "Any country that stands by cleric Gulen will be at war with Turkey," and says we are failing to extradite him.
It doesn't seem to be a surprise then that the American Incirlik Air Force Base has had its power cut and been sealed off from the outside world. The US consulate is telling US Citizens to avoid the base. The Turkish military is apparently denying the right to fly in and out of the base for "anti-ISIS coalition airplanes". Does that make everyone on base hostages to the Turkish government right now? Are they going to shoot down any US planes going into the base with supplies, or on health and welfare flights?
What happens if Turkey tries to take over the base by force? I think that would underline the "at war with Turkey" statement from the Turkish foreign minister.
Incirlik houses American nuclear weapons. They are as ready to use as any nuke deployed anywhere. Does Turkey let ISIS become armed with American nukes?
This could get really ugly, really fast, depending on how hot-headed the Turkish military gets.
A few minutes ago I read a statement that claimed this may have been a false flag incident perpetrated by Erdogan to strengthen his position against the anti-Islamist people in his country: “After his Istanbul speech, many commentators suggest that Turkish coup attempt was ‘staged,’ as the President called it a ‘gift from Allah,’” by Irene Kostaki, New Europe, July 16, 2016 (thanks to The Religion of Peace). From Robert Spencer's Jihad Watch.
ReplyDeleteObama has personally informed Erdogan that he supports him. I would think that makes any statement from Erdogan implying war against the U.S. to be simply posturing, playing to the crowd of his Islamist supporters in Turkey. Or maybe he plans to hold-up Obama for a few more billions of our taxed income.
I'm talking to a kid on a music forum that lives in turkey. He says that it was a full on war zone last night and this morning, with gun ships spraying the crowds, F16's , running air strikes, and tanks with infantry manning road blocks & shooting at people. He says it looks like a "war movie" outside his apartment, with bodies in the street and burning cars/buildings. He says the "News isn't telling the truth". For whatever its worth.---Ray
ReplyDeleteThanks for that - by far the most interesting input of the last couple of days. I've seen the videos of soldiers being pulled out of tanks or being surrounded by crowds and immobilized. No video like the kid you were talking with names. I also must conclude what he's reporting means the fighting is still going on, while the news makes it sound like everything is over and done.
DeleteJust for clarification, I didn't mean to imply there was no fighting and killing, simply that the "coup" was a false flag event giving Erdogan the excuse to do some house cleaning.
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