During a high-profile speech at the ruling AKP conference in Turkey, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned Russia against launching any airstrikes against ethnic Turkmen rebels in northern Syria, saying those strikes are unjustified and unacceptable in the war against ISIS.
The warning comes just a day after Turkish warplanes shot down a Russian bomber over Syrian Turkmen territory, and a Turkmen rebel faction attacked and killed one of the pilots. This is expected to fuel retaliatory strikes from Russia.
In regard to the attack on the Russian plane, Davutoglu claimed to have given the orders to the Turkish military personally to destroy it, reiterating Turkish claims they have a “right” to destroy airplanes that “threaten” their airspace.
Russia has cut military contacts with Turkey in response, and has announced future bombers will be escorted by fighter planes to prevent them being shot down. Russia has also deployed increased air defenses in the area along the Syria-Turkey border.
Good to know, Achmed, good to know.
Sorry Turkey but the Russians are going to shred the Al Qaeda branch you call Turkmen there and support with arms to chase the Christians from that area and exterminated all else that do not believe in their radical ways.
Another blogger who's scared silly of the consequences for Putin of getting into a war with NATO.
Countries those support terrorist should stop .
Agreed. Let Putin give the good example by ceasing to support the supposed "rebels" in donetsk and Lugansk.
The problem is the eternal one: Putin isn't interested in fighting ISIS other than as cover for fighting people like the Turkmen. He's defending his precious naval base. All this loss of life is all for the sake of one little man's vanity!
Clearly, this blogger is scared silly of the consequences fro Putin of Russia getting into a war with NATO.
Ahmet Davutoglu liar, terrorist and behind licker of US shut up and get out baby killer.
Underscores the real problem with the NATO alliance.Quantity over singularity of purpose. So many member states with conflicting goals and interests.
I wonder if the Russian heavy bomber fleet can do the Arc Light style massive bombing like we do with our B-52's and B-1's. Those produce what the Russians call "nuclear effects." It is a zone 2 km by 1 km of near-interlocking bomb craters, nothing left alive or whole.
If they are set up to do it, I expect this would be a place we'd see it.
First demo appears much like what you're describing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOTU9vYZx98 . S'pect there's a lot of video either of Russian ordinance or presumed to be.
Yes, that is a good find.
Our own B-52's were modified during the Vietnam War to carry more bombs. They had the lifting capacity, but not enough places to hang bombs to carry as much as they could lift. That was fixed in short order.
This Russian demonstration is of the same tactic, but those planes can carry more weight than the number of bombs they are seen to drop. Maybe they are being economical, maybe the bombs are bigger than I realize, or maybe they are still working on the number of places to hang them.
Still, it is very interesting to see them practicing the idea, and showing it to Putin.