Reports: Turkish warplane shot down by Syria

MSNBC ^ | June 22, 2012

[cunning_fish]

Lebanon's Hezbollah-owned Al-Manar television station said on Friday that Syrian air defenses shot down a Turkish military aircraft, quoting Syrian security sources.

"Syrian security sources confirmed to a Manar correspondent in Damascus that Syrian defense forces shot down the Turkish fighter jet," a news flash on the Beirut-based station said.

Pro-Iranian Al-Mayadeen television station, which is based in Lebanon, also quoted what it said were Turkish sources as saying a jet had been shot down by Syrian air defenses.

There was no confirmation of either report. Earlier, Turkey -- a member of NATO -- said it had lost contact with a plane while it was over the sea off the southeastern coast, and a television station said it had crashed in Syrian territorial waters.

CNN Turk television said Turkey was in contact with the Syrian authorities to get permission to conduct a search for the airmen, although there was no immediate official confirmation.

In a statement, Turkey's military said a search and rescue operation was underway. It lost radar and radio contact with the plane after it took off from Erhac Airport in the eastern province of Malatya.

Two crew were aboard the F-4 at the time of the crash, the Turkish state news agency Anatolia said on its website, citing Malatya governor Ulvi Saran.

The Hurriyet daily newspaper reported that the plane had gone down in international waters and that the two airmen had been found alive and well following a search operation by Turkish forces.

The Chief of General Staff declined to comment further on the incident beyond the written statement.

Turkish warplanes regularly patrol along and off Turkey's southern Mediterranean coast.

[mulder1]

Operation Northwoods

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Thanks - my BS detector had gone off for many of the reasons you cite but I wasn’t completely sure.

[no-to-illegals]

okay, probable BS or false flag. Confirmed!?!?

[Oztrich Boy]

It's been reported that this was an RF-4E recce bird. (About 40 ex US and FRG delivered to Turkey)

[a_Turk]

Ignorant people make better consumers.. It doesn’t matter what they think.

[ScreamingFist]

If the Turkmen go banzai with Syria they may find they’ve done nothing but poke a stick at a big, surly Russian bear that is spoiling for a fight.

If Turkiye decides to "go banzai" with Syria, it will be an asswhooping that hasn't been seen since Gallipoli....and is that is why "surly Russian bear" has made a show of moving men and material into Syria. The Syrians have been supporting PKK for decades. If Syria is smart they will back down quickly.....if not.......

[a_Turk]

>> You are exactly correct. Syria is outside the territory specified in the NATO treaty; this does not justify using NATO forces.

Although you may technically be correct - the weapon in this instance hadn't been fired at NATO member territory - there had been instances in which other weapons had been from Syria at individuals in Turkey.

Also, you quoted the original articles where you should have looked at the Protocol to the North Atlantic Treaty on the Accession of Greece and Turkey ttp://tinyurl.com/7vr6auf

Article 1

Upon the entry into force of this Protocol, the Government of the United States of America shall, on behalf of all the Parties, communicate to the Government of the Kingdom of Greece and the Government of the Republic of Turkey an invitation to accede to the North Atlantic Treaty, as it may be modified by Article 2 of the present Protocol. Thereafter the Kingdom of Greece and the Republic of Turkey shall each become a Party on the date when it deposits its instruments of accession with the Government of the United States of America in accordance with Article 10 of the Treaty.

Article 2

If the Republic of Turkey becomes a Party to the North Atlantic Treaty, Article 6 of the Treaty shall, as from the date of the deposit by the Government of the Republic of Turkey of its instruments of accession with the Government of the United States of America, be modified to read as follows:

For the purpose of Article 5, an armed attack on one or more of the Parties is deemed to include an armed attack:
1.
on the territory of any of the Parties in Europe or North America, on the Algerian Departments of France, on the territory of Turkey or on the islands under the jurisdiction of any of the Parties in the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer;

2.
on the forces, vessels, or aircraft of any of the Parties, when in or over these territories or any other area in Europe in whicH occupation forces of any of the Parties were stationed on the date when the Treaty entered into force or the Mediterranean Sea or the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer.

OK Partner?

[cunning_fish]

It is questionable and contraversial if you are to make it work this way. First, it is huge to claim this jet as a part of occupation forces and second it is stupid to think of the rest of NATO to back Turkey if such a claim to appear with Russia and China on the other side. Claiming it Turkey is risking to get condemned as an agressor inserting ocupation force for an agressive war.

[a_Turk]

These things take time and patience. First and foremost intellects on this forum should, if they’re going to rummage through alliance agreements, get their documents straight. Anyway, it’s your leadership who’s manipulating the world here. I have the honor of being led by your stooge.

[no-to-illegals]

Are you here or there (in Turkey)?

[a_Turk]

Both... Neither... Why?

[no-to-illegals]

Would like to ask two question, if I may (that being the first in prior post. Could you share information (if in Turkey) regarding the current mindset of the public, in Turkey, regarding today's incident, and if not in Turkey, has information been gleamed (by yourself) which would indicate the mindset of the public in Turkey regarding today's incident? The reason am asking is saw a post today where the poster was stating no apology is acceptable from Syria and this act should carry a declaration of war from Turkey toward Syria. The poster appeared (do not know to be correct) to be in Turkey.

[no-to-illegals]

Am sending a link (not the link mention in my post or comment mentioned). Comment #20 may be of interest ... http://www.topix.com/forum/world/turkey/TMNFQLBUFMA7G49VA

[cunning_fish]

Turkey is slowly degrading into an Islamist state the way Iran did in 1970s. Where are Kemalists in military? Most of them are purged during a last few years. There are growing presence of Qurans in public places, anti-Western rhetorics etc. I know some Westernized Turkish people and talked to them, they find their domestic situation scary.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

T.E Lawrence threw the Turks out for a reason.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

T.E. Lawrence threw the Turks out for a reason.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

[Pollster1]

OK Partner?

You're absolutely right; thank you for the correction. Still, I don't think it changes the conclusion. Assuming the airplane was over Syria when shot down, the same conclusion applies.

[no-to-illegals]

AM update (players at the chess board imho) ... http://news.yahoo.com/syria-shoots-down-turkish-jet-claims-rebel-massacre-031941481.html