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How American client states sponsor terrorism in West Asia

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Kamal Mitra Chenoy
Kamal Mitra ChenoyJan 13, 2016 | 16:54

How American client states sponsor terrorism in West Asia

Now in bits and pieces, the real story of ISIS and the NATO policies is coming out. It is clear that the NATO attack on President Bashar al Assad had more to do with reordering the power structure, than being driven by getting a democratic regime. Syria has been providing arms and funds to Hezbollah.

In the Israel-Lebanon war some years ago, Israel suffered its first defeat since its inception. But if the Assad regime fell, Hezbollah would be critically weakened. The "regime change" - from Afghanistan to Iraq, Libya and Somalia - was to create pro-US governments.

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Democracy in US allies has never been an issue. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Arab emirates are not remotely democratic or secular. Many of them fund ISIS, al Nusra, al Qaeda, among other terrorist outfits.

The real aim of the current war in West Asia is to establish and strengthen client states.

Corruption and collaboration as in Turkey, a NATO member, shows how fraudulent the "war against terror" is. Turkish President Recep Erdogan's son Bilal Erdogan owns several maritime companies. He has allegedly signed contracts with European operating companies to carry Iraqi stolen oil to different Asian countries. The Turkish government buys oil from the seized Iraqi oil wells.

Bilal Erdogan's maritime companies own special wharfs in Beirut and Ceyhan ports that illegally ferry ISIS-smuggled crude oil on Japan-bound oil tankers. The BMZ shipping company is a family-run business.

According to Gursel Tekin, vice president of the Turkish Republican People's Party, "President Erdogan's close relatives hold shares in BMZ and they misused public funds and took illicit loans from Turkish banks". Tekin goes on to allege that "Bilal Erdogan is up to his neck in complicity with terrorism, but as long as his father holds office he will be immune from any judicial prosecution".

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Selling stolen Iraqi oil is a very lucrative business. Al Nusra controls some of the Iraqi oil wells. The proceeds from Turkish purchases fund this notorious groups terrorist activists, and even more so of ISIS. The oil convoys, organised by the Turkish BMZ owned by Erdogan's family, comprise some 70-100 tankers who use the Zahko port in Turkey.

Allegedly Syrian, Kurdish and Iraqi merchants buy the oil there. Dr Fareed, who is Israel's broker, ensures that part of the convoy of stolen oil reaches Israel. This is a complex and multi-country oil scam, of which the US and its allies must be aware.

If the Indian intelligence is not aware it would be incredible. Just like the Indian government's silence on the Russian President Vladimir Putin's list of 40 countries supporting ISIS circulated at the G-20 meeting.

In the meantime, after the Russian support to Syria, the Obama government has removed the earlier verifications on "good terrorists" who are trying to overthrow the Syrian government, so some 50 tonnes of arms have been sent in to the terrorist areas inside and outside the Syrian borders. Despite the Russian and Syrian air bombing of ISIS areas, there is no such systematic air attack by the US coalition on ISIS-controlled areas.

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For cementing control of oil-rich areas, for the US-led NATO and allies, boundaries, international law, democracy are not principled issues. Anything goes if "regime change" is arbitrarily imposed as still being necessary for imperialist goals. But is the Indian government seeing through the facade of the "war against terror"?

Last updated: January 13, 2016 | 16:54
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