Türkiye (12 Viewers)

[Cronios]

The plane was shot down for a reason.
Indeed, Turkey invades aerial territories daily and noone dares to shot down her aircrafts.

So the obvious reason is that this reckon aircraft was shot down to prevent taking an important spy foto.
This certain type of aircrafts has this special role and therefore there was no need to carry weapons.

The primary threat it carries, is that it steals images and info, so the obvious reason is, that it was shot down, to prevent it from obtaining that info.
As it was shot down by sort range AA guns and not long range missiles, chances are that it was in Syrian territory, also proved by the fact that it fell like a rock in Syrian territory.
They fact that they didnt warn it, prolly means that it was already too late, and it was too close to its target.

So it was carrying a reckon/spy mission inside the Syrian territory. And unlike other times, this time it was shot down.
What did it change this time? My guess is the importance of its target. (and i suspect it was shot down after accomplishing its mission)
I still see Syrians in an incomfortable position though.
They wouldnt like to do that and they wouldnt dare to do it IMO. Why now?
Unless there were asked to do it and they were promised the support to get away with it. (they barely can defend their ground atm)

The momentum also has a significance. It is the worst possible moment for the Syrians to provoke such an incident, even passively.
I smell smth really fishy there, anyways time will tell, we will see how the Russians will react, dont they have a military base somewhere there?

 

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[Nzoric]

i'm with the syrian regime in this particular incident. Nothing wrong with shooting down the Turkish plane, at all. Kudos.

 

[Cronios]

Thats bigger than them or Turkey though...

 

[Nzoric]

Thats bigger than them or Turkey though...

it is. i'm taking more about the principle. imagine the media backing and condoning if a Syrian fighter was shot down over Turkish territory. Sick and tired of the NATO pact shitting on every international convention and law just because they feel privileged to do so.

 

[Cronios]

I see, true that!

 

[GordoDeCentral]

Neither. Syria shot it without even givin a warning on international airspace. These border violations are oftenly happening, Syria violated it for 102 times just in a year. You simply can't shot a plane just because it has crossed the borders for a short time. Pilots are dead most probably. Though both Turkiye and US want Essad gone, their motives are different.

The plane being shot down does not reveal anything except that the Syrian armed forces are at their wit's end. Airspace violations are commonplace everywhere - the Turkish airforce itself violated the airspace of its neighbors hundreds of times each year. Russians also violate Finnish and Canadian airspace as frequently. It is not in the news out of the fact that it is so common, it is nothing new. Such incidents are nearly always resolved by a demand by the sovereign nation in question. Only thing that is special about this incident is that Syria fired without warning.

common place indeed and correct me if i am wrong but i think protocol is to give 3 radio warnings

 

[Nzoric]

also a slight difference between Russian airplanes violating Finnish/Canadian soil is that neither the fins nor canadians are in a state of civil war between regime forces and opposition forces who are supporting financially and with arms by members of the military pact Turkey are a part of. It's not as simple as just flying where they're not allowed to do so.

 

[GordoDeCentral]

still an aggressive action, israel has been in a few wars with lebanon and it always violates their airspace, if lebanon were to shoot one of its planes down all hell would break loose

 

[Brandmon]

common place indeed and correct me if i am wrong but i think protocol is to give 3 radio warnings

Actually having discussed the matter with multiple of my mates who are, or were, in their respective nations' airforce, protocol is very dependent on the situation - depending on the likelihood of navigational mistake on part of the violator and immediate threat. Usual protocol is to warn any aircraft approaching your airspace BEFORE they actually cross the line, in the form of both a verbal warning and a scrambling of fighters. This is how the majority of air incidents present themselves and it is how they usually end. Then if the said aircraft crosses the line - if it is over the sea, a warning is given again before further action is taken, considering that borders over the sea cannot be tracked precisely and what one side considers as neutral territory and the other as their sovereign territory could overlap by kilometers. On the other hand, incursions over land are outright shot down if prior warning was given.

also a slight difference between Russian airplanes violating Finnish/Canadian soil is that neither the fins nor canadians are in a state of civil war between regime forces and opposition forces who are supporting financially and with arms by members of the military pact Turkey are a part of. It's not as simple as just flying where they're not allowed to do so.

It is irrelevant. The Syrian Civil War is happening on the ground and not in the air. Therefore the procedure on the air should have been both normal and effective. Borders on the sea are hard to follow and hence it is very much dependent on either side to provide a warning to aircraft approaching their airspace. That no such warning was given is a great misjudgement and that the aircraft was shot down reckless enough considering that several civilian airliners were shot down before in similar incidents of shoot without warning (such as Korean Air Flight 007 and Iran Air Flight 655) And it is debatable if the Turkish government is supporting the rebels in the first place, so it can't be considered as a justification for such an action.

 

[Turk_Bianconero]

Top ex-soldier admits coup plot bid against AKP, names man behind idea

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
In his historic testimony in the coup-plot case, former Chief of General Staff Özkök says former force commanders had raised the idea of issuing a memorandum against the AKP government during a military meeting in 2003, but adds that it was not an 'official’ suggestion

Former Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Özkök broke his silence in the Ergenekon coup-plot case yesterday in Silivri at the 13th Istanbul High Criminal Court, admitting for the first time that there were possible conspiracies against the present government but that they lack seriousness.

In his testimony, Özkök said former force commanders had at the time mentioned the idea of issuing a memorandum against the government during a military meeting brainstorming session, but added that it “was not an official suggestion.”

The hearings continued today, with Özkök naming the commander of the Land Forces, Gen. Aytaç Yalman, as the person who expressed in 2003 the idea of issuing a memorandum to the government as a possible "action plan."

Özkök also said the "Balyoz" (Sledgehammer) plan went beyond its intended aim and that he warned the officers responsible for it. "There were some aspects related to certain
politicians."

Özkök said the United States asked the Turkish military to exert political pressure on the government to approve a parliamentary resolution that would allow American forces to use Turkish soil to open a northern front during the Iraqi war in 2003. The resolution, however, failed to receive enough votes and was rejected in a parliamentary vote on March 1, 2003.

The historic testimony may be a turning point in a case where 273 suspects, 65 of whom are under arrest and include high-level military officers, civil servants, journalists and academics, are accused of plotting to topple the government from 2003 to 2004.

İlker Başbuğ, another former chief of General Staff who served between 2008 and 2010 and has been accused of being the “chief of a terrorist organization,” sat listening to Özkök’s words in the courtroom from the back felon’s dock.

Başbuğ, who was arrested eight months ago, attended an Ergenekon hearing for the first time in three months to listen to Özkök’s testimony. The former chief of General Staff appeared to have lost weight since the last trial he was seen at. Along with Başbuğ, retired generals Hurşit Tolon and Veli Küçük were also present in the courtroom.

Coup plot slides

Özkök said he acknowledged the existence of the alleged coup plots, nicknamed “Ayışığı” (moonlight) and “Yakamoz” (phosphoresce in the sea), during his term of leadership, but said he did not take any legal action concerning them as he was unsure of their authenticity and seriousness. “In the spring of 2004, I was given a CD that included the presentations of Ayışığı and Yakamoz. I read them, but they could have been disinformation. I did not share this issue even with my seniors. As the chief of General Staff, I had to be cautious. I did not take any action since those documents were not legitimate.”
Many people within the Turkish military staff, himself included, felt uncomfortable when the AKP formed a single-party government, Özkök said. “When the AKP came to power, the Turkish Armed Forces staff, including me, had concerns. Taking into consideration the [AKP officials’] statements in the past, we were worried about whether Turkey would roll back to the old days. We began discussing these issues. In the army everyone expresses their opinions even if they think differently from each other, this is normal, but they obey the chief of General Staff’s orders in the end,” he said.

Ergenekon’s structure

The chief judge handed a roll of papers to Özkök and asked him whether “the schemas on the papers were familiar to him.” The schemas “were possible organizational structures of the alleged terror organization Ergenekon,” the judge stated. Özkök looked at the papers a while and said one of the schemas was one the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief delivered to him in 2003. “I can claim there is a 90 percent chance that this was the same schema that the (MİT) chief presented to me,” Özkök said.

Özkök said the only thing he knew about the alleged terror organization Ergenekon was that schema, which was an unofficial and unrecorded paper. “My only evaluation of that page was that it was incoherent because low-ranking soldiers were in higher positions than the higher ones. That’s why I had sent it back and told them to notify me if they gained anything more serious,” he said. That page was not important enough to be archived, he said. Özkök also said he did not know anything else about Ergenekon. “In my term no action plan was conducted about the Ergenekon organization.”

August/03/2012

 

[Turk_Bianconero]

Eight killed in huge blast in southern Turkey

20 August 2012 / TODAYSZAMAN.COM ,
At least eight people have been killed and 60 injured in a huge blast in southern Turkish province of Gaziantep.

Governor's office said in a statement that a truck full of explosives stopped near the Karşıyaka police station and was detonated, burning two buses and a car to the ground.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast Monday night in Gaziantep, near the Syrian border. Terrorists of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) are active in the area, and the fight between Turkish security forces and terrorists, who seek autonomy in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast, has intensified in recent weeks.

Television footage showed firefighters attempting to douse a fierce blaze that gutted several vehicles. Medics assisted a wounded person on a stretcher, and ambulance sirens wailed as bystanders gathered to survey the wreckage.

The blast comes at a delicate time for the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, which is providing refuge to tens of thousands of Syrians who have fled the civil war in their country, and is seeking, along with its Western and Arab allies, the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Within its borders, the Turkish state has granted more cultural rights to Kurds as a means of easing the long-running conflict with a significant portion of the ethnic minority, but there is still a great deal of distrust between Ankara and many Kurds.

The PKK operates from bases in the mountains of northern Iraq, and Turkish jets have periodically conducted bombing raids there.

Last week, a Turkish lawmaker was freed by his PKK terrorist captors. Hüseyin Aygün, a member of parliament from the main opposition party, was kidnapped at a roadblock while touring his precinct in the southeastern province of Tunceli.

 

[Turk_Bianconero]

Turkey marks 32nd anniversary of bloodiest coup amid bitter memories

12 September 2012 / TODAY'S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
On Wednesday, Turkey marked the 32nd anniversary of the Sept. 12, 1980 coup d'état -- the bloodiest in the country's history -- with protests across the country, with many pro-democracy figures taking to the streets to raise their voices against military control over the country and politics.

Tragic and shameful memories that were recounted by victims of the coup left their mark on the day.

The first anti-coup demonstration was held in Ankara in the early morning hours of Wednesday. The venue for the demonstration was the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) radio building in Ankara.

As dawn was breaking on Sept. 12, 1980, the coup stagers seized control of the radio building and announced the coup through a memorandum which they read over the radio.

On Wednesday, a group of members of the Revolutionary 78ers Federation convened in front of the radio building to mark the anniversary of the coup. They were carrying banners with the images of Erdal Eren and Necdet Adalı -- two Turkish youth who were hanged by coup stagers after the military takeover. The group chanted slogans condemning coups and their actors. Mehmet Özer, who read out a statement on behalf of the group, said Turkey does not want a future “under the shadows of guns and tanks.” “We want real democracy, which is necessary to our people like bread and water, and which is required for the coexistence of peoples,” he said.

The 1980 military coup was the bloodiest and best planned coup in the history of Turkey. A total of 650,000 people were detained during this period while files on 1.68 million people were kept at police stations. A total of 230,000 people were tried in 210,000 cases, mostly for political reasons. A further 517 people were sentenced to death, while 7,000 people faced charges that carried a sentence of capital punishment. Of those who received the death penalty, 50 were executed. As a result of unsanitary living conditions and torture in prisons, a further 299 people died while in custody.

The trial of the two surviving coup instigators of the Sept. 12 coup began earlier this year. Retired Gen. Kenan Evren, who was the chief of General Staff at the time of the coup and served as president after the coup for seven years, is the prime suspect in the trial. However, he has not attended the court hearings, citing health reasons.

The commencement of the trial was met with cheers by many people in the country, with thousands of protesters gathering outside an Ankara court on the first day of the trial, waving flags and shouting slogans demanding justice and the prosecution of all people who played a role in the staging of the Sept. 12 coup. There are some 500 co-plaintiffs in the case, which include representatives of eight political parties and Parliament.

Also on Wednesday, dozens of nationalist figures flocked to the now closed Ulucanlar Prison in Ankara, which imprisoned hundreds of people after the coup. The protesters carried banners which read, “Atrocities against nationalists on Sept. 12 will be called to account” and “No to cruelty, torture and tyranny.”

Remzi Çayır, the head of the Commission of Sept. 12 Victims, spoke to the press on Wednesday and said many nationalist figures were executed while many others were tortured in prison after Sept. 12.

“Nine of our friends were hanged by dictator and coup stager Kenan Evren. He not only hanged people but also killed justice in the country,” Çayır said, adding that he was among the large number of nationalists who were tortured in Ulucanlar Prison. “We used to scream as they [coup stagers] tortured us, but no one heard us. Ankara [the government] did not hear our screams,” he stated.

In an online message, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç tweeted on Wednesday his opinion that Sept. 12, 1980 had created a fertile ground for terrorism to become a permanent problem in Turkey.
Victims recount coup atrocities

Memories of the death, torture and ruined lives due to Sept. 12 continued to plague the country on the 32nd anniversary of the coup.

Yılmaz Durak, an ülkücü (member of the Nationalist Movement Party's [MHP] youth branch), said he was systematically tortured at the Harbiye Barracks in İstanbul by military officers who were trained in torturing victims. “I believe they [the torturers] were psychopaths. They enjoyed torturing us. Would a human being enjoy torturing others?” he asked.

Durak also said he spent six years in prison after the coup, out of which four-and-a-half years were in solitary confinement. “They would undress us and torture us with electric shocks. With each electricity shock, we felt as though our heads were being hit against walls,” he said.

Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Muş deputy Sırrı Sakık said the whole of Turkey was a victim of the Sept. 12 coup because every citizen had been, in a way, impacted by the coup. Sakık is also among the large number of people who were tortured after the coup. “We all went through painful times. … Sept. 12 left marks on me which I cannot forget, even though so many years have passed. Military officers arrived in our village after the coup. They gathered all the men in the village square and undressed us. Then they tortured us,” he said, and added that many young Kurds went to the mountains to join the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to protest torture at the hands of coup stagers. “Sixteen-year-old children were executed [after the coup]. We still carry the traces of torture on our bodies,” Sakık added.

İpek Gür, a board member of the Revolutionary 78ers Foundation, said her brother died in Diyarbakır Prison, where he was jailed in 1984 as he was on a hunger strike. According to Gür, her brother joined the hunger strike, which was initiated by prisoners protesting the torture. “Diyarbakır Prison was no different than Nazi camps. Four prisoners burned themselves to death because they were no longer able to tolerate the torture,” she added.

 

[JuveJay]

The plane being shot down does not reveal anything except that the Syrian armed forces are at their wit's end. Airspace violations are commonplace everywhere - the Turkish airforce itself violated the airspace of its neighbors hundreds of times each year. Russians also violate Finnish and Canadian airspace as frequently. It is not in the news out of the fact that it is so common, it is nothing new. Such incidents are nearly always resolved by a demand by the sovereign nation in question. Only thing that is special about this incident is that Syria fired without warning.

The Russians test UK air defences frequently too, although there is nothing particularly sinister about it. The pilots even wave to each other and show each other pictures sometimes.

Turkey's region is obviously more tense, so you can see why there was a response if airspace was breached.

 

[IrishZebra]

Happy CIA Day turks

 

[Turk_Bianconero]

Three former Turkish generals get 20 years in historic coup trial

Relatives of the suspects and members of the press wait for the final verdict in the Sledgehammer trial in front of the Silivri Courthouse on Friday. (Photo: AA)
21 September 2012 / TODAYSZAMAN.COM,
Three former Turkish generals, who were Key suspects in the Sledgehammer coup trial, have been sentenced to 20 years in prison on coup charges.

Former 1st Army Commander retired Gen. Çetin Doğan, former Air Forces Commander Gen. Halil İbrahim Fırtına and former Naval Forces Commander Adm. Özden Örnek were initially given life imprisonment but the sentences were reduced to 20 years on the grounds that the coup plan they drew failed. The İstanbul 10th High Criminal Court said in its final verdict on Friday that 34 suspects were acquitted of charges leveled against them.

The 107th and last hearing of the trial was held at the İstanbul 10th High Criminal Court at the Silivri Prison complex on Thursday. The court took a recess before announcing its final ruling on Thursday afternoon but said later in the day that the verdict would be announced on Friday.

"We weren't able to reach a verdict despite a meeting that -- due to the high number of defendants -- lasted for more than seven hours," said Ömer Diken, the head of a three-judge panel hearing the case.

"We will continue tomorrow ... when we will announce the verdict," he said.

The court was then expected to announce its verdict Friday at 2:00 p.m. but took a recess after hearing final statements from four suspects who had been absent at Thursday's session. The court is still on break. The constant delays raised some questions as they are not usual in Turkish judicial system.

The majority of the accused made their statements in the previous hearings, but some have refused to do so, arguing that they have not been given a fair trial.

Sledgehammer is a suspected coup plot believed to have been devised in 2003 with the aim of unseating the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government through violent acts. According to the Sledgehammer plan, the military was to systematically foment chaos in society through acts of violence, among which were planned bomb attacks on the Fatih and Beyazıt mosques in İstanbul. The plot allegedly sought to undermine the government to lay the groundwork for a coup d'état. The military, which has overthrown three governments since 1960 and pressured a conservative government to step down in 1997, has denied the existence of such a plan.

There are 365 suspects, all retired or active duty members of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), in the Sledgehammer coup case. A total of 250 of the suspects are currently detained as part of the trial. The suspects include retired Gen. Çetin Doğan, former Air Force Commander İbrahim Fırtına, former Naval Forces Commander Adm. Özden Örnek and retired Gen. Engin Alan.

 

[ßöмßäяðîëя]

What about the Armenian genocide?

 

[Turk_Bianconero]

Prosecutors had demanded 15-20 year jail sentences for the 365 defendants, 364 of them serving and retired officers.

Among the 365 suspects, 250 behind bars and the rest pending trial outside of custody. The verdict session was the 108th hearing in the trial.

Suspects entered the courtroom to the applause of viewers, who sang various military anthems as the suspects, most of whom are of military background, walked in.

Four defendants delivered their final statements on the last day. The court adjourned before announcing the verdict.

On Friday, Naval Col. Hakan Mehmet Köktürk, jailed at Maltepe Military Prison, was taken to the İstanbul hospital of the Gülhane Military Academy of Medicine (GATA) reportedly after suffering a heart attack.

İsmail Tepecik, a lawyer for retired Gen. Çetin Doğan, the main suspect in the investigation, said all suspects should be acquitted, speaking to reporters outside the courtroom before the session's start.

Security was tight outside the courtroom on the final day of the hearing. Those who entered the building were frisked and searched with the help of detector dogs. About 500 court viewers, 60 members of the press and 30 lawyers were allowed in.

Some of the highest-ranking former and current members of the military have stood trial in the Sledgehammer case, including Gen. Balanlı, former Air Force Commander retired Gen. Fırtına, former Naval Forces Commander retired Gen. Örnek and former generals Doğan and Saygun, who both served as commanders of the 1st Army.

The 10th High Criminal Court heard the trial. All of the sessions were held at a courthouse built on the property of Silivri Prison. Military suspects in the trial were kept at the military prisons of Hadımköy, Hasdal and Maltepe. The suspects entered the courthouse at 1 p.m.

Presiding Judge Ömer Diken and the other members of the panel of judges entered the courtroom shortly after. After opening the hearing, Diken recalled that the court had adjourned on Thursday to discuss the verdict, but said it had not yet reached a decision. The court adjourned again after the four remaining suspects delivered a final statement.

Retired Gen. Alan, who was elected to Parliament from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) in the last election, is also among the suspects. Retired Gen. Levent Ersöz is another prime suspect in the investigation. He did not attend Friday's hearing.

Sledgehammer: the beginnings

The first time the Sledgehammer plot was publicly discussed was on Jan. 20, 2010, when the Taraf daily claimed that a group of generals had conspired to overthrow the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, devising a plot titled the Sledgehammer Security Operation Plan. The daily claimed that among the plans of the generals was bombing the Fatih Mosque, one of İstanbul's biggest, during a busy Friday prayer and other atrocities to shake public confidence in the government. The plot was devised in 2003, according to the paper. The next day, the İstanbul Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the claims. Forty retired generals and officers on active duty -- including high-ranking former and current generals or admirals Doğan, Süha Tanyeri, Saygun and Özden Örnek were detained on Feb. 24, 2010. Seven people, including Ramazan Cem Gürdeniz, a senior admiral, were arrested in the first wave of arrest. On Feb. 26, Doğan and retired Gen. Engin Alan testified to specially authorized prosecutor Bilal Bayraktar, and were put under arrest by a decision of the 10th High Criminal Court, facing charges of “attempting to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey with the use of force and violence.”

The indictment against the suspects was accepted on July 19, 2010. There were initially 196 suspects -- all of them retired or active duty military officers -- in the trial.

On Dec. 6, 2010, the trial took on a new course when nine sacks of documents were found hidden under the floor tiles at Gölcük Naval Command, detailing the alleged plot to overthrow the AK Party. The first hearing was on Dec. 16, 2010.

In June 2011, four more military officers were arrested in the trial. Prosecutor Hüseyin Ayar completed a second indictment on June 16, indicting 28 defendants, including Gen. Bilgin Balanlı and Gen. İsmail Taş. The indictment was accepted by the court on June 28, 2011, with the prosecutor demanding up to 20 years for the suspects on charges of attempting a coup d'état. On Aug. 15, 2011, the court started hearing the accusations in the second indictment.

A key arrest was made on Sept. 19, 2011, when Senior Col. Ümit Metin -- who was already under arrest as part of a separate investigation into an alleged plot to assassinate several naval admirals -- was arrested as a Sledgehammer suspect.

On Oct. 3, 2011, Gen. Beyazıt Karataş, who was wanted as a suspect, turned himself over to the authorities. Also in October the court merged the two indictments into a single trial. Yet a third indictment -- against 143 suspects -- was accepted on Nov. 23, 2011. This indictment was incorporated into the main trial on Dec. 29, 2011, bringing the total number of suspects in the trial to 365. On March 2 this year, former Chief of General Staff retired Gen. Yaşar Büyükanıt and Gendarmerie General Commander Gen. Bekir Kalyoncu testified in court as witnesses. On March 14, retired Gen. Ergin Saygun, another suspect who was wanted by the prosecution, turned himself in. He was arrested on the same day. On March 29, the prosecution delivered its 920-page opinion on the trial. On April 6, the court filed a complaint against 11 lawyers with attempting to influence a fair trial. On Aug. 3, retired Gen. Hilmi Özkök, who was the chief of general staff at the alleged time of drafting of the Sledgehammer plot, testified in court. He said he had warned the generals against crossing the line during a seminar in 2003 on the Sledgehammer plot -- which the defendants said was only a war strategy game. On Aug. 16, the defendants delivered their final statements.

Indictment basics and evidence overview

According to the Sledgehammer Indictment, soon after the general elections of November 2002, a full-fledged coup plan under the leadership of 1st Army commander Doğan was launched to topple the AK Party government. The plot contemplated the bombing of mosques, downing a Turkish fighter jet, the takeover of hospitals and pharmacies, the closing of NGOs, the arrest of journalists and politicians.

The indictment also charges that the coup plot was given a dress rehearsal on March 5-7, 2003 in a seminar at the 1st Army Headquarters.

The first evidence against the suspects emerged in January 2010, when an anonymous tipster delivered a suitcase to journalist Mehmet Baransu. The suitcase contained various materials, including documents not related to the investigation. Three CDs -- which formed the backbone of the prosecution's argument -- in the suitcase were the subject of the Sledgehammer investigation. The journalist shared the documents with the prosecutors shortly after obtaining them. The CDs contain documents that mention Sledgehammer and related activities such as operational plans (subplots the generals called Oraj, Suga, Çarşaf, Sakal), a list of civil society organizations that would be closed once the generals were in power, blacklists of individuals from various institutions, journalists to be arrested, vehicles, hospitals and pharmacies to be taken over and personnel assignments. Later, the documents found at Gölcük were added to the pile of evidence against the suspects.

What about the?

Does not exist.

 

[swag]

What about the Armenian genocide?

Hiiiiiiyooooooo!!!

 

[Nzoric]

Does not exist.

Please tell me that you're kidding.

 

[Turk_Bianconero]

Prepare for war if you want to have peace, says Turkish PM

Turkey should be prepared for war if it wants to have peace, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said today during a speech in Istanbul.

"We are not war-lovers, but we are not far from war either," Erdoğan said. "The saying goes: 'prepare for war if you wish for peace.' So, war becomes the key for peace."

"They ask whether their kids will go to war? If need be, we, including myself, will all go all the way there," Erdoğan said.

"What peace?" Erdoğan shouted. "What peace?"

Regarding the vacation Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had previously taken in Bodrum on Erdoğan's personal invitation, and the close relationship that used to exist between the two, Erdoğan said there was nothing strange about it.

"If we are at peace, I will host leaders," Erdoğan said.

Turkey increases navy force in Mediterranean

Turkey is reinforcing its position in the Mediterranean Sea following the escalation in tension along its border with Syria.

A number of warships and submarines have been sent to bases in the Mediterranean from the northwestern province of Gölcük where the main base of the Naval Forces is located. The ships were fully loaded with arms labeled "war load."

Tension has escalated between the two countries after a Syrian shell bomb hit the Akçakale region in the southeastern Turkish province of Şanlıurfa. Turkey reciprocated by bombing Syrian army targets, and on Oct. 4 the Turkish Parliament passed a motion for a one-year mandate authorizing the military use of ground troops for cross-border operations into "foreign countries."

Turkey returns fire after new Syria shelling

Turkey returned fire Friday after a new Syrian shell landed in on its territory close to their common border.

The Syrian shell landed in the Turkish town of Altinozu in Hatay province near the border, triggering an immediate response fire from Turkish forces, at around 1630 GMT.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The fresh round of fire exchange comes two days after a Syrian shell killed five Turkish nationals in another border town, Akcakale, triggering a Turkish retaliation fire in its immediate aftermath.

Turkey ceased fire early Thursday morning, after a night of sporadic shelling that pounded unspecified targets in Syria.

Turkey, a member of NATO, preserves its right to hit back if shelling continues, Turkish officials have warned.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tu...lling.aspx?pageID=238&nID=31806&NewsCatID=338