Turkey needs to be much more proactive in countering terrorism in Syria and Iraq, stop turning a blind eye and aiding the Islamic State terrorists through illegal oil trade, Iraqi MP and a former national security adviser, Mowaffak al Rubaie told RT.
Ankara is “smuggling Iraqi oil and Syrian oil through the borders and selling it on the black marker in Turkey,” Rubaie told RT.
“Turkish authorities need to do a lot more than what they are doing now to come clean from the accusations that they are siding, or at least that they are turning a blind eye to the movement of these terrorists from Turkey to Syria and Iraq and vise versa,” the MP said.
The politician says there is “mounting evidence” from all over the world, including Iraq, that “Turkey is playing not a very clean game,” when it comes to Islamic State (IS, previously ISIS/ISIL).
Rubaie also finds it strange that Turkey is aiding jihadi fighters to get medical treatment on its territory before sending them back to fight in Syria and Iraq.
“Also there is evidence that some of these high value individuals of Daesh when they get wounded in Iraq and Syria, they cross the border and get treated and operated upon in Turkish hospitals,” the MP said.
Ankara must secure the border between Turkey and terrorist-controlled territories of Syria, because Syrian government forces have so far been unable to secure the northern part of Syria. To “seal” the border, Rubaie argues, some 50,000 Turkish troops are needed.
That will help “stop the smuggling of the goods as well as the smuggling of terrorists” into Daesh controlled lands, the MP said.
Overall Ankara should “come clean” and address the mounting evidence of IS links that have surfaced recently. In addition, the MP called on NATO to investigate allegations against Turkey “properly,” as the Norwegians in their latest study have done.
READ MORE: Most smuggled ISIS oil goes to Turkey, sold at low prices – Norwegian report
A newly-leaked report on illegal oil sales by Islamic State, which was ordered to be compiled by Norway, revealed that most of the IS-smuggled oil has been destined for Turkey, where it is sold off at low prices.
“Recently the Norwegian authority has investigated this independently, and they have come out with exactly the same conclusion,” Rubaie told RT.
He called on the Norwegians to “share this information with other NATO member nations, and also with the EU,” in addition to regional powers. Rubaie also urged the wider international community to “take a position” based on this evidence and pressure Turkey to do more to cut off IS' “main source of funding,” ie smuggling oil.
Rubaie's plea to the international community comes a few days after the UN Security Council passed a resolution strengthening legal measures against those doing business with terrorist groups.