Turkey Accused Of Colluding With ISIS

After 49 Turkish diplomats were held by ISIS for three months, they were suddenly released.  The Turkish government denies having made any deal with ISIS, but will not say why ISIS released them.  Some Kurds have claimed that Turkey and ISIS have colluded in an effort to wipe out Kurdish enclaves in Syria.

From The Independent:

Hailed in Ankara as a triumph for Turkey, the freeing of the diplomats seized when Mosul fell to Isis on 10 June raises fresh questions about the relationship between the Turkish government and Isis. The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the release is the result of a covert operation by Turkish intelligence that must remain a secret.

He added on Sunday that “there are things we cannot talk about. To run the state is not like running a grocery store. We have to protect our sensitive issues; if you don’t there would be a price to pay.” Turkey denies that a ransom was paid or promises made to Isis.

The freeing of the hostages comes at the same moment as 70,000 Syrian Kurds have fled across the border into Turkey to escape an Isis offensive against the enclave of Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab, which has seen the capture of many villages.

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