New indications of Turkish links to ISIS emerge
Media outlets linked to Turkish-backed armed groups published images and photographs of the militants who attacked Manbij. According to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) media center, the terrorists who carried out the attacks identified themselves as tribal fighters. However, in the footage released, the militants can be seen wearing badges associated with ISIS. The SDF media center said this was “even more concerning”.
The SDF media center states: “As we previously indicated these so-called tribal fighters are, in reality, former members of al-Nusra and ISIS terrorists, who are now resurging under a different guise. Additionally, they are using vehicles belonging to the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA). This revelation further underscores the potential threat they pose to the stability and security of the region and proves the ISIS-Turkish SNA relationship we exposed earlier.”
The SDF attached videos and pictures to its statement, clearly showing terrorists wearing ISIS-associated badges, and stressed the crucial importance of making the evidence public.
ISIS men released by Turkish intelligence
Another news article raising questions about the ties between the Turkish state and ISIS was reported by the Mezopotamya news agency (MA). Compelling details were provided in the statement of the lawyers in the case of the bomb attack that killed 109 civilians and injured 500 others who were taking part in the peace rally organized by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in front of Ankara Central Railway Station on 10 October 2015. The attack, the deadliest terrorist attack in the country’s history, was carried out by ISIS.
As the trial of the 10 October attack continues, striking evidence has been added to the case file after years of work by lawyers. The additional evidence consists of footage of the suspects in the attack being trained in ISIS camps and killing a person. It emerged that although the suspects had been arrested and the footage obtained before the 10 October attack, they had been released by the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT).
Who do the Turkish authorities protect?
In the statement of the Lawyers’ Committee of the 10th of October Case, which was issued to call on the public to support the trial that will take place on the 8th of September, it pointed out that the information and documents requested throughout the process have been constantly denied. The following questions were also asked in the continuation of the statement: “There are still many dark points waiting to be clarified regarding the 10 October massacre in Ankara. We have been asking persistently for 8 years: “What are you hiding, who are you protecting?”