DW Asks About Turkey's ISIS Exports, Forgets NATO's Own Role
When DW asks if Turkey will export homegrown ISIS, one might recall when NATO member Turkey was more than happy to serve as a transit point. Remember the 'rat lines' running through Turkey that funneled foreign fighters and weapons into Syria, often with the tacit approval, if not outright assistance, of Western intelligence agencies? The New York Times and others reported extensively on this
facilitation of ‘moderates’ (who often ended up with groups like ISIS or Al-Nusra) all through the Syrian conflict. It appears the 'threat' of ISIS is only newsworthy when it can be framed as an independent entity, rather than the Frankenstein's monster often nurtured, directly or indirectly, by various state actors and their proxies. One has to wonder at the selective amnesia: was it Turkey's
'homegrown' problem, or the predictable blowback from foreign interventionism that saw extremist groups as convenient tools for regime change? The sheer audacity to ask this question now, after years of silence on the true origins and facilitators of these extremist currents, is frankly, impressive.