Stephen Lendman

Previous articles discussed Erdogan’s support for ISIS, giving its fighters safe haven on Turkish territory, allowing them free cross-border passage into Syria and return, providing them arms and other material support, selling their stolen oil.

An RT International documentary film crew discovered damning evidence found by Kurdish YPG fighters in northern Syria of Turkey’s involvement with ISIS in transporting, refining and selling stolen Syrian oil - Erdogan and other regime officials profiting hugely, separate evidence revealing it. Turkey claiming it’s combating ISIS, not supporting it, is contradicted by hard evidence proving otherwise.

Documents RT got from Kurdish fighters included “detailed invoices used by IS to calculate daily revenues from their oil fields and refineries, as well as the amount of oil extracted there,” it reported.

“All the documents had Islamic State’s symbol at the top.” They showed ISIS “kept very professional records of their oil business.”

Syrians forced against their will to aid ISIS’ oil trade said “extracted oil was delivered to an oil refinery, where it was converted into gasoline, gas and other petroleum products.”

“Then the refined product was sold. (I)ntermediaries from Raqqa and Allepo arrived to pick up the oil and often mentioned Turkey.”

A captured ISIS fighter said “the reason why it was so easy for him to cross the Turkish border and join IS was, in part, due to the fact that Turkey also benefitted” - profiting from oil.

Militants from numerous countries came to Syria via Turkey. Their passports had entry stamps issued at its border checkpoints.

RT said many people it interviewed “spoke about the connection with Turkey. (It’s) the direct neighbor of IS. If it (ceased providing support), the terrorist organization could no longer survive.”

Ankara benefits by getting cheap oil and using proxy fighters to wage war on Syria’s government and Kurdish population.

Documents RT obtained reveal damning evidence of the Turkish/ISIS connection. Erdogan is directly involved, everything of importance requiring his direct approval.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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