Thread: Putin says US knew flight path of Russian bomber shot down by Turkey

Putin says US knew flight path of Russian bomber shot down by Turkey

Published November 27, 2015 FoxNews.com

Russian President Vladimir Putin again slammed Turkey's explanations for the shooting down of a Russian bomber plane near the border with Syria, saying Thursday that the warplane's flight details had been passed to the U.S. in advance and should have been known to the Turkish government.

"The American side, which leads the coalition that Turkey belongs to, knew about the location and time of our planes' flights, and we were hit exactly there and at that time," Putin said during a news conference with French President Francois Hollande, during which the two leaders vowed to increase cooperation in the fight against ISIS.

"Why did we pass this information to the Americans?" Putin went on to say. "Either they were not controlling what their allies were doing, or they are leaking this information all over the place."

Turkey has said it shot down the Su-24 bomber Tuesday after it flew into its airspace for 17 seconds despite repeated warnings. Putin dismissed that claim again Thursday, calling the Turkish explanations "rubbish."

"They [our planes] have identification signs and these are well visible," Mr Putin said of the Russian planes before criticizing Turkey again: "Instead of ... ensuring this never happens again, we are hearing unintelligible explanations and statements that there is nothing to apologize about."

Putin said the Ankara government had "thoughtlessly and rudely" destroyed friendly ties between the two countries, and issued a warning to the West despite saying he was still willing to cooperate with the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS in Syria.

"Incidents like the destruction of our aircraft and the deaths of our servicemen... are absolutely unacceptable," Putin said. "And we proceed from the position that there will be no repeat of this, otherwise we'll have no need of cooperation with anybody, any coalition, any country."

There was no immediate official response from the U.S., in part due to Thursday being the Thanksgiving holiday.

The incident Tuesday underscores the complex military landscape in Syria, where a sprawling cast of countries and rebel groups are engaged on the battlefield and in the skies overhead, sometimes with minimal coordination.

On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan underscored the complex military landscape in Syria, where a sprawling cast of countries and rebel groups are engaged on the battlefield and in the skies overhead, sometimes with minimal coordination.

Erdogan accused Russia of using its declared goal to fight ISIS group in Syria as a pretext to target opposition groups including the Turkmen, in order to shore up Syrian President Bashar Assad.

He also challenged Russia to prove its accusation that Turkey is buying oil and gas from ISIS, calling the claims "shameful" and even pledging to step down if the claim is proven.

"This is a great disrespect to Turkey and those who make the claims are slanderers," he said. "If they prove it, Tayyip Erdogan would step down."

Commenting on Erdogan's statement, Putin said that at the G-20 summit in Antalya he showed fellow leaders the aerial pictures of convoys of oil trucks carrying the IS oil into Turkey.

"Let's assume that Turkey's political leadership knows nothing about it, it's theoretically possible, albeit hard to believe," he said sarcastically. "There may be elements of corruption and insider deals. They should deal with it."

Putin responded to the plane's downing by ordering the deployment of powerful long-range air defense missiles to a Russian air base in Syria.

On Thursday, Russian state television stations ran a report showing the S-400 missiles already deployed at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria's coastal province of Latakia, just 50 kilometers (30 miles) away from the border with Turkey.

The Russian navy missile cruiser Moskva also moved closer to the shore to help protect Russian warplanes with its long-range Fort air defense system.

The Kremlin also acted Thursday to inflict economic pain on Turkey.

Since the plane was downed, Russia has already restricted tourism, left Turkish trucks stranded at the border and announced the confiscation of large quantities of Turkish food imports.

On Thursday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ordered a range of economic sanctions against Turkey within the next two days. They will include "restrictions and bans on Turkish economic structures operating in Russian territory, restrictions and bans on deliveries of products, including foodstuffs," as well as on labor and services.

Russia was the biggest source of Turkish imports last year, worth $25 billion, which mostly accounted for Russian gas supplies. It also is the largest destination for Turkish exports, mostly textiles and food, and Turkish construction companies have won a sizable niche of the Russian market.

Erdogan lamented Russia's intention to halt economic cooperation with Turkey, saying political leaders should talk first. "We are strategic partners," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/11...own-by-turkey/

Honor.

Where is it? Russians step up to help Syria regain order and end a civil war crisis. They commit equipment and resources. They send Russian citizens to engage in solving a problem in Syria that has become a catastrophic problem for the world.

Where is the honor that we should see in and between civilized countries?

Turkey shooting down a Russian bomber in Syria? There is no honor in that. That is an attack. Turkey shooting down a Russian bomber claiming it was in its airspace when it wasn't? There is no honor in that. Turkey claiming it warned the pilots 10 x when they didn't warn them at all? There is no honor in that. Turkey allowing its Turkish rebels to kill the pilots so there are no living witnesses? There is no honor in that. Shooting down a rescue helicopter for the same reason? There is no honor in that.

Russia strikes hospital, school in Syria's Azaz, kills 50

COMPILED FROM WIRE SERVICES
ISTANBUL
Published 2 hours ago

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says close to 50 civilians have been killed and many more wounded in missile attacks on at least five medical facilities and two schools in northern Syria.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Monday that victims of the attacks included children.

He quotes the secretary-general as calling the attacks "blatant violations of international laws" that "are further degrading an already devastated health care system and preventing access to education in Syria."

Haq quoted Ban as saying the attacks "cast a shadow on commitments" made by nations seeking to end the Syrian conflict at a conference in Munich on Feb. 11, which included a cessation of hostilities within a week and an end to attacks on civilians.

Turkey's official Anadolu Agency stated that cluster bombs were used in the attacks.

A resident said another refugee shelter south of the town was also hit by bombs dropped by jets believed to be Russian.

Meanwhile, a Turkish security official confirmed Reuters that seven Russian missiles struck a hospital in the northern Syrian town of Azaz on Monday, adding the the civilian death toll to rise.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, local civil defense officer Abu Muhammad said that several positions in the opposition controlled-town together with Azaz-Al-Salam route were targeted with cluster bombs and 10 civilians were killed in the offensives. As wounded people were brought to hospitals in Turkey's southeastern Kilis province, Muhammad said Russian jets had hit hospitals and schools in the heavy offensives that target Azaz and the surrounding area. The town is 7 kilometers from the Turkish border.

Tens of thousands of people have fled to the town, the last rebel stronghold before the border with Turkey, from towns and villages where there is heavy fighting between the Syrian army and militias.

"We have been moving scores of screaming children from the hospital," said medic Juma Rahal. At least two children were killed and ambulances ferried scores of injured people to Turkey for treatment, he said.

French charity Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said in a statement that at least eight staff were missing after four rockets hit a hospital that it supported in the province of Idlib in northwestern Syria.

PYD forces are advancing from the west and have been fighting anti-government insurgents on the of town, only a few kilometers away from the main Bab al Salam border crossing. The regime forces are advancing from the south.

Both the PYD and the regime want to wrest control of that stretch of border with Turkey from the insurgents.

Russian bombing raids on rebel fighters are helping the Syrian army to advance toward Aleppo, the country's largest city and commercial center before the conflict. If the army takes the city, it will by the Syrian regime's biggest victory of the war.

Independent Doctors Association, a Syrian non-government organisation that runs a hospital in Bab al Salama near the Turkish border, said at least 30 people were wounded in the attacks.

http://www.dailysabah.com/syrian-cri...-azaz-kills-50