Turkey

Back in November, Turkey very nearly started a world war when Ankara decided it would be a good idea to shoot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border.

Only one of the two Su-24 pilots survived after the plane was ambushed by two Turkish F-16s.

The other pilot was killed by the Syrian resistance and in a brazen move, the FSA destroyed a Russian search and rescue helicopter with a US-supplied TOW hours after the plane was downed.

Turkey has summoned the Russian envoy claiming that a Russian Su-34 fighter jet violated its airspace on Friday. A number of warnings in both Russian and in English were allegedly sent to the jet. RT reports: “We are making a clear call to the Russian Federation not to violate Turkish airspace, which is also NATO airspace,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement Saturday. “We are emphasizing once again that the unwanted consequences of such irresponsible behavior will belong fully to the Russian Federation,” it added.

Back in November, before the flames were even extinguished on the Su-24 Ankara shot down near the Syrian border, Vladimir Putin made a startling assertion.

Turkey, he said, is funding ISIS.

US Vice President Joe Biden said that Washington recognizes the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is as much of a threat to Turkey as ISIS. Speaking alongside the Turkish prime minister during a press conference in Istanbul, Biden voiced his support for a Turkish crackdown, saying Kurdish militants and IS are ‘terror groups plain and simple’ He told reporters that ISIS was “not the only existential threat to the people of Turkey, the PKK is equally a threat and we are aware of that” Turkey has however been criticised over its campaign against Kurdish militants.

The Prime Minister of Iraq has issued a scathing attack on Turkey, claiming that they are faking their fight against ISIS. Haider Al-Abadi says that Turkey currently view their Kurdish population as a greater problem than ISIS, and that their vow to fight Islamic Militants alongside the West in Syria is a complete bluff. Cnbc.com reports: “The Turks are telling us otherwise, (that) they’re eager to fight Daesh. But I’m telling them frankly, I’m not seeing evidence of that. I hope to see more evidence of that,” Al-Abadi said.