News:

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that Washington asked to postpone military training for Syrian opposition. Çavuşoğlu stated that the train-equip program was delayed therefore. On a live interview on NTV Çavuşoğlu noting that the train-and-equip program to train Syrian opposition forces signed with the USA will soon be initialized made the following statements: "There is no delay from our side. We take decisions jointly. We establish the equipments jointly and decide jointly whom to train and will decide on everything jointly. Because of U.S. (geographic) distance, there has been a minor delay but everything is fine both politically and technically. The works are continuing." Source:Dunya Bulteni.

Comment:

The train-and-equip project which is being discussed by Turkey and the USA for a long time but still not put in action with a concrete decision signed by John Bass, Ambassador of the United States to Turkey and Feridun Sinirlioğlu, Undersecretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, on 20th February 2015. Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu who made an announcement after the signing of the memorandum of understanding stated that "the trained Syrian opposition members are expected to fight against ISIL and other terrorist groups in the region." High-ranking diplomats of Turkey gave the information that opposition groups to be trained had been chosen by a joint-selection-committee. On top of the factors which were sought to be agreed on was whom the trained opposition forces would target at.

And in January Turkish Foreign Ministry sources announced not to give details about whom these trained elements mentioned in the memorandum would fight, thus stating to enabling the opposition to fight against Assad if needed and if needed against ISIL.

Meanwhile it is well known that the USA has no solution to the Syria issue without Assad. Throughout the last 3 years in which the USA which tried to create an opposition force as an alternative to the Baath regime and in which it became highly disappointed, is not thinking in the least of a solution without Assad anymore. And Turkey professing to counter this decision of the USA says that Assad has to leave. In fact Turkey follows the USA's Syria policy exactly step by step. Therefore Turkey's statements of opposition soldiers trained under the train-and-equip project fighting against Assad are nothing more than empty words. Because everyone knows very well the train-and-equip is solely aiming at generating soldiers to fight against the sincere mujahideen groups in Syria.

Also it has become clearly visible to everybody during this Syrian Uprising that the Syrian people and the fighters refused to cooperate with cowards and traitors every time. The sincere mujahideen served as an example to those groups who thought about cooperating with the West and dissuaded them from their decisions. Even those Muslims who fight in the FSA have understood that the USA and Turkey are not trustworthy. And this is why they joined the sincere mujahideen and conquered the city of IDLIB which was under the control of the Baath regime. These are the groups who joined this Army of Conquerors: Ahrar al-Sham, al-Nusra Front, Jund al-Aqsa, Jaish Ansar al-Sunna, Faylaq Al-Sham and Liwa-ul-Haq. There are also soldiers of the FSA in these groups. This means that the soldiers whom the USA and Turkey planned to train-and-equip against ISIL and the sincere mujahidoon groups whom they regard as terrorist, joined the sincere mujahidoon and inflicted a heavy blow on Assad's army. Straight afterwards there arrived the news from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu that the train-and-equip project had been postponed.

I ask the leaders of Turkey, if the soldiers to be trained under the train-and-equip project are to fight against the Assad regime - here there are the mujahideen who fight like lions - so why do we need to delay this project?

Because you are lying. Because you cannot find any soldiers to train under this project. Because the USA is very angry that the mujahideen conquered IDLIB. Because even the FSA soldiers you wanted to train with the USA, have linked arms with the sincere ones (Muhlisoon) and are running from victory to victory in IDLIB. Also, you wanted to set up a temporal government in IDLIB via the NCSROF (Syrian National Coalition). Now, however the muhlisoon have told the NCSROF never to enter IDLIB. They refused the temporal government. And this angered the USA even more. And then the postponement of the train-and-equip project was announced. And now, you as the Turkish Republic get up and speak with the mouth of USA and invent unashamedly a lie that the train-and-equip project was delayed due to some technical problems. Whereas this project was delayed due to the IDLIB victory. Because those soldiers whom you regarded as moderate fought on the side of the sincere mujahideen. You live with and are grieved upon the fear of losing the FSA soldiers after training them to the ranks of the sincere mujahideen.

It is a shame that the Turkish Republic did not become wiser during the Syrian Uprising. It has set on the tail of the USA and the West. It expected action by the NCSROF who virtually waited like vultures on the field of Syria. Cluelessly twisting in the wind; the USA seeks a remedy in Turkey, while Turkey seeks a remedy in the sold commanders of the NCSROF and FSA. The USA has no trust in NCSROF. Because the NCSROF has no total control over any of the groups in Syria.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Mahmut KAR