The release of 49 Turkish hostages by ISIS does not pass the smell test
With great fanfare on Saturday, the Turkish government welcomed 49 hostages in Istanbul that were seized by ISIS at Turkey’s consulate in Mosul when the Islamist State captured that Iraqi city on June 11.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, “After intense efforts that lasted days and weeks, in the early hours our citizens were handed over to us and we brought them back." He claimed the release was the work of the country's intelligence agency rather than a special forces operation.
The hostage release just does not pass the smell test. No one in their right mind would believe that Turkey obtained the release of the hostages without either paying a ransom or offering some kind of quid pro quo.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is universally recognized as an Islamist. Erdogan is a bitter enemy of Israel. Turkey and Qatar have been bankrolling Jihadist movements. There can be no doubt that Turkey gave ISIS something of value to the Islamist State in return for the release of the hostages.
Turkey is a member of NATO. The U.S. claims Turkey as a close ally. With friends like that, the U.S. does not need any enemies.
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