Now this is really scarey! Is it the beginning of World War 3?
Miriam
In Wake of Turkey Provocation, Putin Orders Anti-Aircraft Missiles to Syria
Published on
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
by
Common Dreams
In Wake of Turkey Provocation, Putin Orders Anti-Aircraft Missiles to Syria
As NATO allies rush to Turkey's defense, both experts and Russian officials
are pointing to Ankara's complicity in the growth of the Islamic State
by
Lauren McCauley, staff writer
"After what happened yesterday we can't rule out [the possibility of] new
incidents, and, if such incidents occur, we will have to react in one way or
another," Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters. (Photo: AP)
Heightening the threat of further escalation, Russian President Vladimir
Putin ordered the deployment of sophisticated anti-aircraft missile systems
to Syria on Wednesday, saying the measure was necessary to "ensure flight
safety" after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on Tuesday.
The S-400 missile systems will be sent to Russia's Hemeimeem air base,
located roughly 30 miles south of the Turkish border in Syria's coastal
province of Latakia. The systems are capable of targeting jets with "deadly
precision," AP notes.
Russia also verified on Wednesday that the navigator of the fighter jet is
"alive and well" after a successful 12-hour rescue operation by a Syrian
Special Forces unit. However, further complicating matters, the plane's
pilot and a marine sent in to rescue the airmen were both killed Tuesday,
reportedly by rebel fighters armed with U.S.-supplied missiles.
In addition to the S-400s, Russia has also ordered its missile cruiser
Moskva with its long-range air defense system to move closer to shore,
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday, so that it may be "ready to
destroy any aerial target posing a potential danger to our aircraft." Shoigu
told a meeting of military officials that Russian bombers will also now be
accompanied by fighters during all combat missions in Syria.
Amid these increasing military tensions, the United Nations and NATO both
issued statements calling for restraint on Tuesday.
NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg asked for "calm and de-escalation,"
while maintaining that the alliance backs Turkey's accounting of events.
Because Turkey is a NATO member, if Russia were to retaliate, NATO would be
obligated to intervene.
Though NATO allies have rushed to Turkey's defense, both experts and Russian
officials are pointing to the country's complicity in the growth of the
Islamic State. As AP reports:
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who canceled his planned trip to Turkey
after the incident, described the shooting down of the Russian plane as a
"planned provocation."
He said the Turkish action came after Russian planes successfully targeted
oil infrastructure used by the Islamic State group, alleging that Turkey
benefited from the oil trade.
Lavrov also said that Turkish territory was used by "terrorists" to prepare
attacks in other countries, but offered no details.
He said that Russia "has no intention to go to war with Turkey," but added
that Moscow will re-consider its ties with Ankara.
As for what's next, Putin told reporters Wednesday, "After what happened
yesterday we can't rule out [the possibility of] new incidents, and, if such
incidents occur, we will have to react in one way or another."
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
License
In Wake of Turkey Provocation, Putin Orders Anti-Aircraft Missiles to Syria
Published on
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
by
Common Dreams
In Wake of Turkey Provocation, Putin Orders Anti-Aircraft Missiles to Syria
As NATO allies rush to Turkey's defense, both experts and Russian officials
are pointing to Ankara's complicity in the growth of the Islamic State
by
Lauren McCauley, staff writer
. 27 Comments
.
. "After what happened yesterday we can't rule out [the possibility
of] new incidents, and, if such incidents occur, we will have to react in
one way or another," Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters.
(Photo: AP)
. Heightening the threat of further escalation, Russian President
Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of sophisticated anti-aircraft missile
systems to Syria on Wednesday, saying the measure was necessary to "ensure
flight safety" after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on Tuesday.
. The S-400 missile systems will be sent to Russia's Hemeimeem air
base, located roughly 30 miles south of the Turkish border in Syria's
coastal province of Latakia. The systems are capable of targeting jets with
"deadly precision," AP notes.
. Russia also verified on Wednesday that the navigator of the fighter
jet is "alive and well" after a successful 12-hour rescue operation by a
Syrian Special Forces unit. However, further complicating matters, the
plane's pilot and a marine sent in to rescue the airmen were both killed
Tuesday, reportedly by rebel fighters armed with U.S.-supplied missiles.
. In addition to the S-400s, Russia has also ordered its missile
cruiser Moskva with its long-range air defense system to move closer to
shore, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday, so that it may be
"ready to destroy any aerial target posing a potential danger to our
aircraft." Shoigu told a meeting of military officials that Russian bombers
will also now be accompanied by fighters during all combat missions in
Syria.
Amid these increasing military tensions, the United Nations and NATO both
issued statements calling for restraint on Tuesday.
NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg asked for "calm and de-escalation,"
while maintaining that the alliance backs Turkey's accounting of events.
Because Turkey is a NATO member, if Russia were to retaliate, NATO would be
obligated to intervene.
Though NATO allies have rushed to Turkey's defense, both experts and Russian
officials are pointing to the country's complicity in the growth of the
Islamic State. As AP reports:
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who canceled his planned trip to Turkey
after the incident, described the shooting down of the Russian plane as a
"planned provocation."
He said the Turkish action came after Russian planes successfully targeted
oil infrastructure used by the Islamic State group, alleging that Turkey
benefited from the oil trade.
Lavrov also said that Turkish territory was used by "terrorists" to prepare
attacks in other countries, but offered no details.
He said that Russia "has no intention to go to war with Turkey," but added
that Moscow will re-consider its ties with Ankara.
As for what's next, Putin told reporters Wednesday, "After what happened
yesterday we can't rule out [the possibility of] new incidents, and, if such
incidents occur, we will have to react in one way or another."
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
License
