Turkey and ISIL: Turkey's policy on the Middle East in general and on Syria in particular has to be overhauled, dispassionately

By Yaşar Yakiş

June 18, 2014

Last Wednesday terrorist organization the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seized the Turkish consulate general in Mosul, Iraq, and 49 of its personnel.

The seizure came as a surprise for Turkey, which has not had any major problems with the terrorist organisation until now. After ISIL captured the city of Mosul, the Turkish Foreign Ministry had warned the consul general, Öztürk Yılmaz, to evacuate the consulate, but Mr. Yılmaz must have thought that it would be safer to stay in the compound.

The rapid ascent of ISIL started in 2004 with the creation of the Jama'at al-Tawheed wal Jihad to resist the US invasion of Iraq. It changed its name several times, becoming Dawlat al-Iraq al-Islamiyya (Islamic State of Iraq) in 2006. In 2013, when Syria became a breeding ground for terrorism, the porous border between Syria and Iraq facilitated the spread of the organization throughout Syria. Consequently the name of the organization was changed to ISIL.

The attention of countries supporting the Syrian opposition was so focused on the overthrow of Bashar Assad that the emergence of ISIL did not bother them. Some of them may have even considered them a welcome development since, after all, ISIL was helping them overthrow the Assad regime. It is only after the world witnessed the ruthless practices of ISIL that certain countries distanced themselves from this terror organization.

Since its inception several factors contributed to the organization's rapid growth. The defection of many Sunni officers from Saddam's army to the ranks of the Jama'at at-Tawheed wal-Jihad gave the organization a degree of professionalism. The security vacuum in Iraq was another factor. The alienation of Sunnis by Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki strengthened the ranks. When the Syrian crisis broke out, it provided the organization with the potential to further strengthen itself. Both Maliki and Assad may have used ISIL to demonstrate that if they were forced to step aside in their respective countries, the alternative would be this ruthless organization.

At present the organization is financed by private donations from the Gulf countries, extortions from the businessmen and grocers, ransom money from people they kidnap, bank robberies, etc. Between June 9-10 of this year, during what ISIL called “the Battle of Mosul,” they took $426 million and a large quantity of gold bullion from the Mosul Central Bank. ISIL also runs oil fields and sells electricity to certain municipalities in northern Syria.

The organization is largely equipped with US weaponry that was looted or captured during raids or from Western-backed opposition groups who joined ISIL.

Currently there are 32 Turkish drivers being held by ISIL, who say that they will only be released if a $5 million ransom is paid.

The next targets of ISIL include Baghdad and Shia holy places in Iraq, such as Karbala and Najaf further south. If these holy places fall into the hands of a Sunni extremist organization, much bloodier sectarian clashes will be unavoidable.

ISIL's success in Iraq provides several dilemmas for Turkey. If the Iraqi territories inhabited by Turkmens (Mosul, Kirkuk, Tall Afar, etc.) become part of the ISIL territories, they will be subjected to strict Sharia. In Syria, Turkey's southern borders will be surrounded by the Syrian Kurds, Bashar Assad's regime and ISIL. Many ISIL recruits used Turkish territory as their transit route to join their units in Syria therefore; we have to assume that they may have established liaisons with many Turks. These Turkish connections will always pose a security threat to Turkey.

At the time this article was drafted the Turkish authorities were trying, through several intermediaries, to secure the safe return of the Turkish hostages. This is everybody's hope. However, as soon as the consulate and drivers crisis comes to an end, Turkey's policy on the Middle East in general and on Syria in particular has to be overhauled, dispassionately.

Source: http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist/yasar-yakis_350690_turkey-and-isil.html

URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-terrorism-jihad/turkey-isil-turkey-policy-middle/d/97676