Russia claims Erdogan deals in oil with Islamic State

Russia's defence ministry has accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family of involvement in illegal oil trade with Islamic State jihadists.

"The main consumer of this oil stolen from its legitimate owners Syria and Iraq is Turkey," Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov said.

“According to available information, the highest level of the political leadership of the country, President Erdogan and his family, are involved in this criminal business," he added.

Ties between Turkey and Russia have suffered after Ankara shot down a Russian jet on its border with Syria last Tuesday, with President Vladimir Putin accusing Ankara of downing the plane "to protect the oil supply lines to Turkish territory".

President Erdogan has rubbished earlier Russian claims that Turkey is involved in the illegal oil trade with groups, including IS, in Syria and Iraq, insisting he would resign if allegations were proved true.

"Today we are presenting only part of the facts in our possession, that there is a unified team of bandits and the Turkish elite working in the region to steal oil from its neighbours," Minister Antonov said.

"This oil enters the territory of Turkey in huge quantities, on an industrial scale along a living pipeline of thousands of oil tankers," he said.

Mr Antonov claimed that "terrorists in Syria" earned nearly €2bn from the illegal oil trade and "that is why IS so protects its thieving oil extraction infrastructure in Syria and Iraq".
  rte.ie
 2/12/15
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• US urges Turkey do more against ISIS from air, ground

•  Earlier, U.S. President Barack Obama said Turkey had made some progress in sealing its border with Syria but that ISIL was still exploiting gaps to bring in foreign fighters and sell oil...