Turkish magazine alleges Turkey was smuggling weapons to ISIL or al-Qaeda
News magazine Nokta has alleged that the Turkish trucks delivering arms to Syria were carrying tank shells, noting that besides the Syrian regime the only two groups
that have tanks are the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate al-Nusra.
Based on highly-controversial footage revealed by Turkish daily Cumhuriyet last month, Turkish news magazine Nokta ran a story that delves into the make of the arms allegedly being delivered
to radical groups in Syria and their intended recipients.
In January 2014 Turkish authorities stopped Syria-bound trucks in the southern provinces of Adana and Hatay after prosecutors were tipped off that the vehicles were illegally carrying arms
to radical groups in Syria, which allegedly included the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Qaeda affiliates. The government has always denied that the trucks were delivering arms
to extremists, claiming instead that they were simply transporting humanitarian aid to ethnic Turkmen in Syria.
However at the end of May, Cumhuriyet posted an alleged footage of the January 19, 2014 search of Syria-bound trucks in Turkey’s southern province of Adana. Upon initially opening the case of the truck,
the authorities find a layer of cardboard boxes containing medicine. Beneath the boxes of medicine however, is a staggering collection of ammunition. All in all, Cumhuriyet claims there are 1,000 mortars,
1,000 artillery shells, 50,000 assault rifle rounds and 30,000 heavy machine gun rounds in the truck.
http://national.bgnnews.com/turkish-magazine-alleges-turkey-was-smuggling-weapons-to-isil-or-al-qaeda-haberi/6878