The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant Megathread

[Tamas]

I wonder if the regular pro-Russia commenters I see on the Hungarian news site I frequent are just useful idiots or actually payed by some Russian agency: their 1984-ish double think shifts are absolutely mind-blowing.

They hadn't mentioned Turkey even once in a negative light until this morning. Now they remark as it has been a long established fact that Turkey is the greatest danger to peace and European civilisation in general.

[Liep]

2nd pilot also dead according to rebels.

[Eddie Teach]

Now they remark as it has been a long established fact that Turkey is the greatest danger to peace and European civilisation in general.

Since 1453.

[Malicious Intent]

Flight map allegedly released by Turkey. If this is correct, how could the turkish planes have warned the Russians for 5 minutes to leave their space? Did the Suchoi stop in midair for a vodka break?

https://twitter.com/tomsteinfort/status/669125365399486465/photo/1

[Richard Hakluyt]

Maybe the samovar needed their attention 

Looks like the airmen got a traditional warm Islamic welcome :

"A spokesman for the Syrian rebel group which claimed to have captured a Russian pilot whose plane was shot down over northwestern Syria says he was dead upon landing, AP reports.

Jahed Ahmad of the 10th Brigade in the Coast said that the two Russian crew members tried to land in their parachutes in government-held areas after they ejected, but came under fire from members of his group.

He adds that rebels shot one of the pilots, who landed dead on the ground on Tuesday.

The fate of the second pilot was not immediately known.

The group released a video showing gunmen standing around a blond pilot whose face was bruised and appeared dead."

[Syt]

Flight map allegedly released by Turkey. If this is correct, how could the turkish planes have warned the Russians for 5 minutes to leave their space? Did the Suchoi stop in midair for a vodka break?

https://twitter.com/tomsteinfort/status/669125365399486465/photo/1

I've read that they warned them that they were about to enter Turkish airspace and told them to turn back.

[Tamas]

I think the main reason had to be to defend the Turkmens the plane was pulverizing at the moment. Which still shows how dumb Russia was: if you are bombing Turkey's closest allies right next to the Turkish border, then make very sure you are not giving any pretense for them to intervene.

[Legbiter]

What a mess.

[Liep]

Putin: "Today's attack is a stab in the back from the allies of the terrorists."

"Russian plane attacked 1 km from the Turkish border, crashed 4 km from it"

Woah.

[Liep]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-24/putin-says-turkish-stab-in-back-caused-russian-warplane-crash

"President Vladimir Putin accused Turkey of being accomplices of terrorism for shooting down a Russian warplane in Syria, warning of "very serious consequences" for relations.

"We understand that everyone has their own interests but we won't allow such crimes to take place," Putin said at talks with Jordanian King Abdullah in Sochi. "We received a stab in the back from accomplices of terrorism."
Putin spoke after Turkey said two F-16 jets shot down a Russian warplane that violated its airspace near the border with northwestern Syria, roiling global markets and marking the first direct clash between foreign powers embroiled in the civil war. Russia's Defense Ministry denied the plane had ever crossed the border and said it may have been hit by ground fire. Turkey's action is the first time in decades that a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has downed a Russian military aircraft.

Ambassadors of the 28 NATO member states are to meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday in Brussels at Turkey's request to discuss the incident, the military alliance said in a statement."

[Tamas]

Putin: "Today's attack is a stab in the back from the allies of the terrorists."

"Russian plane attacked 1 km from the Turkish border, crashed 4 km from it"

Woah.

[Liep]

Putin: "It's no wonder that IS acts so boldly when it has the backing of a nation's armed forces"

That's war talk right there.

He's also accusing Turkey of aiding IS in its oil selling business.

[Caliga]

Putin: "Today's attack is a stab in the back from the allies of the terrorists."

"Russian plane attacked 1 km from the Turkish border, crashed 4 km from it"

Woah.

Russia and Turkey at war again!? 

[Tamas]

Putin: "It's no wonder that IS acts so boldly when it has the backing of a nation's armed forces"

That's war talk right there.

So will NATO sell out the Turks to Russia or I should start looking for nuclear shelters in my area?

[Syt]

https://www.rt.com/news/323262-putin-downing-plane-syria/

Turkey backstabbed Russia by downing the Russian warplane and acted as accomplices of the terrorists, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
The plane was hit by a Turkish warplane as it was travelling 1 km away from the Turkish border, Putin said. The plane posed no threat to Turkish national security, he stressed.

Putin said the plane was targeting terrorist targets in the Latakia province of Syria, many of whom came from Russia.

Russia noticed of the flow of oil from Syrian territory under the control of terrorists to Turkey, Putin said.

Apparently, IS now not only receives revenue from the smuggling of oil, but also has the protection of a nation's military, Putin said. This may explain why the terrorist group is so bold in taking acts of terrorism across the world, he added.

The incident will have grave consequences for Russia's relations with Turkey, Putin warned.

The fact that Turkey did not try to contact Russia in the wake of the incident and rushed to call a NATO meeting instead is worrisome, Putin said. It appears that Turkey want NATO to serve the interests of IS, he added.

Putin said Russia respects the regional interests of other nations, but warned the atrocity committed by Turkey would not go without an answer.

Putin was speaking at a meeting with King of Jordan Abdullah II in Sochi, who expressed his condolences to the Russian leader over the loss of a Russian pilot in Tuesday's incident, as well as the deaths of Russians in the Islamic State bombing of a passenger plane in Egypt.

The two leaders discussed the anti-terrorist effort in Syria and Iraq and the diplomatic effort to find a political solution to the Syrian conflict.

Earlier a Russian Su-24 bomber was shot down by Turkish fighter jets near the Turkish-Syrian border. Turkey claimed that the plane violated Turkish airspace and did not respond to warnings. Ankara said it was rightfully acting to defend its sovereignty.

Russia insists that the plane stayed in the Syrian airspace.

One of the two pilots of the downed Russian warplane was reported killed by a rebel group as he was parachuting down on the ground after ejecting from the plane. The fate of the second pilot remains unknown.

Well, it's been generally assumed that Turkey was turning a blind eye to IS activity as long as it was against Kurds and Assad, so Putin's allegations are not too much out of line. The question would be what to do with Turkey as an ally if it's proven that they helped the IS?