Looks like Barack finally got the son he can't stop talking about. ("If I had a son . . .")
Taking the cartoon a little more seriously (or literally) than some? The League of Righteous. Kitabat reports Sunday saw the terrorist 'militia' accusing the United States of arming the Islamic State in Anbar Province.
Over the weekend, the increasing ridiculous Turkish government made outlandish charges against the PKK -- charges that are, no doubt, true of the Turkish government itself which is why it's a good time to again note an essay All Iraq News ran last month:
The immediate justification for the launching of renewed airstrikes by Turkey and the US is the expansion of the war against ISIS. In the wake of the bombing in Turkey’s majority Kurdish town of Suruç, which killed 32 youth activists, the Turkish government has allegedly struck hard against both ISIS and PKK targets. It is against this backdrop that any analysis of the new phase of this war must be presented.
First and foremost is the fact that even if one were to accept the Turkish government’s official story – the suicide bomber was linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) – not at all a certainty, the question of ultimate responsibility becomes central. While Ankara would have the world believe that its hands are clean, and that it is the innocent victim of international terrorism, the reality is that Turkey has done everything to foster and promote the growth of ISIS from the very beginning. As such, it is the Turkish government who must shoulder much of the blame for the Suruç bombing.
Since at least 2012, Turkey has been the principal conduit for weapons flowing into Syria. In June of that year, the NY Times confirmed that the CIA was smuggling weapons to anti-Assad forces from the Turkish side of the border using agents of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, long-time assets of US intelligence. Also in 2012, Reuters revealed that Turkey had “set up a secret base with allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar to direct vital military and communications aid to Syria’s rebels from a city near the border… ‘It’s the Turks who are militarily controlling it. Turkey is the main coordinator/facilitator. Think of a triangle, with Turkey at the top and Saudi Arabia and Qatar at the bottom,’ said a Doha-based source.”
It is now also documented fact that Turkish intelligence (MIT) has been an active player in the ongoing campaign to arm and resupply the terror groups such as the al Nusra Front and others. The evidence of this fact was made public by the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet which published video footage along with transcripts from wiretaps confirming what many eyewitnesses have stated: Turkish security forces have been directly involved in shelling and support operations for Nusra front and other jihadi groups in and around Kassab, Syria, among other sites. Many of the very same terrorists who have been armed and supported by the Turkish government are today being held up as enemies of Turkey, and rationalization of the need for Turkish military intervention.
So, with the inescapable understanding that Turkey’s government is the primary supporter and sponsor of terrorist groups in Syria, the justification for war becomes flimsy at best. But, if it’s not about fighting terror, then what exactly is Ankara’s objective? What does it hope to gain?
Today's Zaman notes, "Critics argue Turkey's announced intention to fight ISIL is a ruse to go after the PKK, which has been waging a three-decade long war with the Turkish state. State Department spokesman John Kirby denounced the PKK-linked violence on Wednesday, backing Turkey's fight against the PKK as 'self-defense.' He also called on the PKK to return to the political process."
Did Kirby call for that?
Probably, he's becoming a non stop embarrassment these days.
So much so that the western press appears to be doing rewrites just for John Kirby.
At any rate, Richard Spencer (Telgraph of London) reported:
The leaders of the PKK Kurdish guerrilla organisation
has said they have been in indirect talks with the United States,
despite being listed by Washington as terrorists, asking it to intervene
and mediate in its war with Turkey.
In an interview with Telegraph, Cemil Bayik, one of the three-man
interim leadership council of the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), would
not identify the intermediaries in the negotiations – used because of
its international proscription as a terrorist group.
And he reported that August 17th so there's really no excuse for that detail being buried or ignored just because John Kirby has never talked about it.
This month on The Real News Network, Sharmini Peries spoke with Baris Karaagac regarding the escalation in violence:
PERIES: Now Baris, some people speculate that this escalation and the nationalist sentiment coming out of Erdogan are all leadup to the upcoming elections. Your thoughts on that?
KARAAGAC: Well, I think behind all this escalation of violence is Erdogan's desire to weaken the pro-Kurdish HDP. The political party that got 13 percent of the vote in June, and now has 80 members of the parliament. This was the biggest obstacle for Erdogan to effect constitutional change so that he could become a more powerful president. This is the main reason why he provoked this violence, why he ended the ceasefire, and why the Turkish military and the police forces are attacking the PKK.
Meanwhile, Iraq still can't pass a bill to form a National Guard but, good news, Alsumaria reports the Parliament's debating today whether or not to block porn sites.
