Det russiske forsvarsdepartementet la onsdag frem satelittbilder som viste kolonner med tankbiler som fraktet olje fra IS-område over på tyrkisk side. Departementet sier det sitter på mye mer materiale som vil bli lagt frem etter hvert.

An undated frame grab taken from a video made available by the Russian Defence Ministry in Moscow, Russia December 2, 2015, shows the Turkish-Syrian border crossing. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout

Russland mener handelen er så omfattende at den tyrkiske ledelsen ikke bare må være klar over den, men gi den sitt samtykke.

USAs forsvarsminister Ashton Carter klaget tirsdag offentlig over Tyrkias manglende kontroll med grensen. Det er den typen shaming som Tyrkia under Erdogan er svært dårlige på å ta.

De har reagert like krenket på Russlands anklager om dirty business med IS. Nå legger Russland frem bilder. Men i tillegg til det drar de inn Erdogan og hans familie og sier de er direkte involvert i handelen.

At a briefing in Moscow, defense ministry officials displayed satellite images which they said showed columns of tanker trucks loading with oil at installations controlled by Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and then crossing the border into neighboring Turkey.

The officials did not specify what direct evidence they had of the involvement of Erdogan and his family, an allegation that the Turkish president has vehemently denied.

“Turkey is the main consumer of the oil stolen from its rightful owners, Syria and Iraq. According to information we’ve received, the senior political leadership of the country – President Erdogan and his family – are involved in this criminal business,” said Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov.

“Maybe I’m being too blunt, but one can only entrust control over this thieving business to one’s closest associates.”

“In the West, no one has asked questions about the fact that the Turkish president’s son heads one of the biggest energy companies, or that his son-in-law has been appointed energy minister. What a marvelous family business!”

“The cynicism of the Turkish leadership knows no limits. Look what they’re doing. They went into someone else’s country, they are robbing it without compunction,” Antonov said.

Verdenssamfunn bør få se bildene. Helt usannsynlig er påstanden om familieinnblanding ikke. Så sent som i år ble det publisert telefonsamtaler mellom pappa Erdogan og sønnene der han ba dem få unna kontantene i hjemmet. Det dreide seg om millionbeløp, så store at de tar stor plass.

AKP under Erdogan praktiserer nepotisme, og der det er penger å tjene er de frempå. Det er kjent at de har handlet olje med kurderne, så hvorfor ikke IS? Fallhøyden er stor. Men når Reuters kan publisere en lang melding om at Erdogans sikkerhetstjeneste leverer våpen til IS, er vel ikke oljehandel usannsynlig?

Det vil være meget pinlig for vestmaktene, ikke minst USA, hvis påstandene ble bekreftet. Da blir neste spørsmål: Har USA unnlatt å bombe tankvognene av hensyn til Tyrkia? Bare muligheten for en slik antakelse er nok til å svekke USAs troverdighet.

Anklagene fra Russland har derfor flere adressater. Putin får på pukkelen fordi han støtter opp under Assad-regimet, men hva hvis NATO har sett gjennom fingrene med at Tyrkia leverer våpen og handler med IS?

An undated still image taken from a video made available by the Russian Defence Ministry in Moscow, Russia December 2, 2015, shows the Turkish-Syrian border crossing. Russia’s defence ministry officials displayed satellite images on Wednesday which they said showed columns of tanker trucks loading with oil at installations controlled by Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and then crossing the border into neighbouring Turkey. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via Reuters

Det var nettopp denne kombinasjonen forsvarsdepartementet i Moskva sa var operativ:

The Russian defense ministry also alleged that the same criminal networks which were smuggling oil into Turkey were also supplying weapons, equipment and training to Islamic State and other Islamist groups.

“According to our reliable intelligence data, Turkey has been carrying out such operations for a long period and on a regular basis. And most importantly, it does not plan to stop them,” Sergei Rudskoy, deputy head of the Russian military’s General Staff, told reporters.

The defense ministry said its surveillance revealed that hundreds of tanker trucks were gathering in plain sight at Islamic State-controlled sites in Iraq and Syria to load up with oil, and it questioned why the U.S.-led coalition was not launching more air strikes on them.

“It’s hard not to notice them,” Rudskoy said of the lines of trucks shown on satellite images.

Officials said that the Russian air force’s bombing campaign had made a significant dent in Islamic State’s ability to produce, refine and sell oil.

Russerne gikk detaljert inn på tre etablerte smuglerruter fra IS-territorium over på tyrkisk side. Trafikken har vært vedvarende og det er ingen avmatning.

It said its satellite surveillance had captured hundreds of trucks crossing the border in that area back in the summer, and that since then there had been no reduction in the flow.

The defense ministry officials said the information they released on Wednesday was only part of the evidence they have in their possession, and that they would be releasing further intelligence in the next days and weeks.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/12/02/us-mideast-crisis-russia-turkey-idUSKBN0TL19S20151202