Press TV – April 28, 2014
Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) provided foreign-backed militants in Syria with US-made anti-tank missiles, a local daily reports.
The Turkish daily Aydinlik said in a report that the former commander of the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA), Salim Idris, acted as a middleman in the transfer of the TOW anti-tank missiles from Turkey to the militants in Syria.
About a dozen militants have been trained in Turkey on how to use the weapons, the report said.
The decision for the transfer of the missiles reportedly came after a meeting between Idris and US Republican Senator John McCain last year.
Militants fighting against the Syrian government are also seeking to recruit new militants in the Turkish city of Istanbul.
On March 30, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said the Turkish government was facilitating the entry of foreign militants into the Christian town of Kasab in northwestern Syria near the Turkish border.
Zoubi added that Ankara’s move was in violation of international resolutions as it constitutes involvement in terrorism.
Earlier in March, an audio recording uploaded on YouTube revealed a plot by top Turkish officials to conduct a false-flag attack as a pretext to invade Syria.
The recording contained the voices of Turkey’s intelligence chief Hakan Fidan, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Deputy Chief of Military Staff Yasar Guler and other senior officials discussing the possible assault.