Turkey bought Russian S-400 missiles designed to down NATO planes. For the US, that's a problem - CNN

But the deal, worth about $2 billion and consummated this week, has consequences far beyond the cost to Ankara's defense budget.

It calls into question the decades-long strategic relationship between Turkey and the US, and even Turkey's credentials as a NATO member. It probably nullifies a massive contract for Turkey to buy US F-35 combat aircraft -- a plane the S-400 is designed to shoot down.

The deal also solidifies a deepening relationship between Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin -- two leaders with little time for dissent at home and who need each other in Syria. And it provides the Turkish armed forces with an advanced weapon capable of covering most of Syria and their old adversary Greece (also a NATO member.)

The S-400 can shoot down aircraft at a distance of up to 150 miles (240 km) and intercept ballistic missiles up to 38 miles away.

In essence it is a destabilizing purchase in a region that could do without any more destabilizing. It is also an assertion by Turkey of its independence as a major regional power.

Tension between Turkey and US

Erdogan and the United States have been at odds for years. The Turkish President said the US had protected Fethullah Gulen, the cleric (and Pennsylvania resident) he blames for an attempted coup in 2016. Erdogan declared: "The coup plotter is in your country. You are nurturing him there. It's out in the open."

He has demanded Gulen's extradition countless times, but there's no sign US authorities will accede.

Erdogan and other senior members of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) have often played to anti-American sentiment among the party's conservative, nationalist base.

Erdogan was also infuriated by the US alliance with the Kurdish militia in Syria -- the YPG -- in the campaign to defeat ISIS. Turkey regards the YPG as a terrorist group affiliated with the PKK, which has fought the Turkish state for more than three decades.

When the US considered training a mainly Kurdish contingent to guard the Turkish border last year, Erdogan tweeted: "The US has now acknowledged that it has established a terror army along our borders."

The tension persists. The two sides can't agree on the establishment of a safe zone for refugees inside northern Syria. And this week, CNN reported that US military intelligence is observing a buildup of Turkish armored units that may be planning cross-border combat operations -- amid growing concerns that US troops operating in northern Syria will be caught in the middle.

"There are some indications" that Turkey is preparing for an "incursion" into Syria, but the intelligence is not yet definitive, one official said.

For its part Washington has been exasperated by prison sentences handed to US citizens in Turkey (Pastor Andrew Brunson being the most prominent example) and Turkish staff working at the US Embassy -- seeing them as politically motivated. The Trump administration retaliated by imposing sanctions on senior Turkish ministers.

There was also tension over the Saudi response to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi -- and over what was perceived as an ambivalent approach in Ankara to confronting ISIS, especially in 2015-16. Sporadic threats by Turkey to close the US airbase at Incirlik have been another irritant.

But all these difficulties pale in comparison to the fallout from the S-400 deal. Even before the first deliveries, the US warned that Turkey would be suspended from the F-35 combat jet program and stopped training its pilots.

Erdogan has said that excluding Turkey from the F-35 program would be "robbery," since Ankara has already invested more than $1 billion in the consortium building it. Altogether it planned to buy 116 planes.

The US also threatened new sanctions should Turkey complete the S-400 contract, prompting Erdogan to claim on the sidelines of the G-20 summit: "It is out of question between two strategic partners. I think it should not happen."

US President Donald Trump has suggested the sanctions could be diluted, but many in Congress are determined Turkey should be penalized. According to a US federal law (the Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act), the administration must levy at least five different penalties against Turkey. Just how punitive they will be is yet to be seen.

NATO is also concerned that the S-400 deal will affect Turkey's ability to cooperate with other alliance members. "Interoperability of our armed forces is fundamental to NATO for the conduct of our operations and missions," said one official.

Putin stirs up trouble

Russia is of course delighted that it has not only sold its S-400 to a member of NATO but helped drive a deeper wedge between Turkey and the US. The Turkish purchase is also a great shop window for the Russian defense industry. India is expected to be the next customer for the S-400.

And then there's Syria. President Vladimir Putin seduced Turkey into joining the "Astana" process with Russia and Iran on the future of Syria, essentially sidelining the United Nations and the US. Now, Erdogan needs Russian support to prevent an offensive by the Assad regime against the rebel-held province of Idlib, where Turkey has peacekeeping troops but also backs several rebel factions.

If Turkey wants to have any sway on the future shape of Syria, it has to engage with Russia. Buying the S-400 helped cement a necessary if not necessarily warm relationship.

Above all, the arrival of the first batch of S-400 equipment in Ankara on Friday is the most dramatic instance of a trend that stretches back to the Arab Spring. Erdogan, already in power for more than 15 years, wants to fashion Turkey as an independent and influential power in the region, no longer beholden to the United States and no longer in need of the American nuclear umbrella that protected it for decades.

Holding out an olive branch Friday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkey was still considering buying US Patriot missiles "to cover our need for a long-range air and missile defense system." He also said the purchase of the S-400 "does not in any way mean a change of [Turkey's] strategic orientation."

But the course of Turkey's strategy seems set.

As Aaron Stein puts it in Foreign Affairs, Erdogan and the AKP "don't think their relationship with Washington is nearly as valuable as Washington seems to think it is."

Taking up the thread, Steven A. Cook, a longtime Turkey watcher, says Ankara "is not the partner it used to be. In the future, U.S. policy should be based on the fact that while Turkey is not an enemy of the United States, it is also not a friend."

And you don't share your best jets with countries that are not your friends.

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2019-07-13 12:11:00Z
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Death toll in Somalia hotel attack rises to 26 - CNN

Colonel Salah Osman, a police officer who was part of the rescue operation on Friday night, told CNN that the attack began when a car bomb exploded in a suicide blast at the gate of the Asasey, a heavily fortified hotel 500 km south of the capital Mogadishu. An assault team of four attackers then entered the premises and battled with Jubaland's security forces for 12 hours.

The attackers were shot dead during the fighting inside the hotel, Osman said, while the car bomber died when the explosives were detonated.

Among the dead were three Kenyans, three Tanzanians, two Americans, one Canadian and one Briton, Madobe said.

Hodan Nalayeh, a prominent Somali-Canadian journalist and YouTube star, was critically wounded during the attack and later died in hospital, police captain Mahad Abdia told CNN. Her husband Farid was also killed.

Another journalist, Mohamed Sahal Omar, who worked for the Puntland-based Somali Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), was shot dead while attempting to photograph the attackers inside the hotel, according to a statement by the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ).

A candidate for the regional presidency, tribal elders, and journalists were also killed, Mahad Abdia said. The attack occurred as local officials met inside the hotel ahead of a regional election in August. Dozens were rescued, he added.

Speaking to CNN Saturday morning, a spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office did not confirm a British citizen was among the victims. "We are in touch with local Somali authorities and seeking more information following an explosion in Kismayo," the spokesperson said.

Terror group Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement published on an affiliated website, saying it targeted Jubaland state ministers, regional and federal lawmakers, as well as candidates in the hotel. CNN has not been able to independently confirm these claims.

Radina Gigova contributed to this report.

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2019-07-13 11:04:00Z
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Syria's Assad says talks on post-war constitution to 'continue' - Aljazeera.com

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has said discussions would "continue" over the composition of a body to draw up a post-war constitution for the country.

Meeting with Russian envoy Alexander Lavrentiev, Assad discussed ongoing efforts towards "creating a committee to discuss the constitution", the presidency said on Friday.

The president and Moscow's representative "agreed to continue working and intensely coordinate between both sides on the next steps," it said in a statement.

On Wednesday, the Syrian government and visiting United Nations Envoy Geir Pedersen announced "progress" towards forming the body, whose composition has dragged for more than 17 months.

Disagreements have raged over the names to be included in the committee, a third of which are to be nominated by the government, another by the opposition, and a final third by the UN envoy.

Damascus hopes to amend the current constitution, while the opposition wants to write a new one from scratch.

The UN envoy met the Syrian Negotiation Commission opposition grouping late Thursday "to discuss the results of Pedersen's latest visit to Damascus", it said on Twitter, without further details.

Pro-government newspaper al-Watan on Tuesday reported that a body could start work as early as September if Damascus agreed to Pedersen's list.

Last month, the United States said it was time to scrap the constitutional committee initiative and come up with other ways to end the war.

Numerous rounds of UN-led peace talks have failed to end a conflict that has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with the repression of anti-government protests.

In recent years, a parallel negotiations track led by regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey has taken precedence.

With key military backing from Russia, government forces have retaken large parts of Syria from rebel groups since 2015, and now control around 60 percent of the country.

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2019-07-13 09:28:00Z
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Somalia attack results in deaths and injuries, reports say; Americans said to be among casualties - Fox News

As many as 26 people, including an unknown number of Americans, died during a more than 14-hour-long siege on a Somali hotel carried out by gunmen with ties to the global Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda, according to a report, and dozens more were reported injured.

Among those killed was a presidential candidate running in upcoming regional elections, current Jubbaland president Ahmed Mohamed said in a statement to Reuters.

Canadian journalist Hodan Nalayeh and her husband, Farid Jama Suleiman, also were among those killed, Mogadishu-based independent radio station Radio Dalsan confirmed to the Associated Press. She was the first Somali woman media owner in the world.

8 KILLED, 16 HURT AS EXPLOSIONS ROCK SOMALIA'S CAPITAL

"I'm absolutely devastated by the news of the death of our dear sister Hodan Nalayeh and her husband in a terrorist attack in Somalia today. What a loss to us. Her beautiful spirit shined through her work and the way she treated people," Omar Suleiman, a Texas-based imam who knew the victim, wrote on social media.

Nalayeh was born in Somalia in 1976, but spent most of her life in Canada, first in Alberta and then in Toronto. She founded Integration TV, an international web-based video production company aimed at Somali viewers around the world.

Attackers first deployed a suicide bomb at the entrance gate to the Asasey Hotel in Somalia’s port city of Kismayo on Friday evening. At least four gunmen then stormed the hotel, which is frequented by politicians, patrons and lawmakers.

At least 14 hours passed before Somali troops shot dead all four attackers inside the hotel compound, Col. Abdiqadir Nur, a local police officer, told the Associated Press.

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Reports on the death toll were conflicting. Initial reports said 12 people died in the attack. The president of Somalia’s Jubbaland region told Reuters on Saturday the death toll had risen to 26 people, including Americans, a Briton, Kenyans and Tanzanians.

The number of injured ranged from 40 to 56, according to reports.

Somalia's Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack. Al-Shabab, which is allied with al-Qaeda, often uses car bombs to infiltrate heavily fortified targets like the hotel in Kismayo, which has been relatively quiet in recent years.

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2019-07-13 09:21:16Z
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Russia delivers more air defense equipment to Turkey - Reuters

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Russia flew a fresh shipment of advanced air defense equipment to Turkey on Saturday, the Turkish Defence Ministry said, continuing to implement a deal that is likely to trigger U.S. sanctions against a NATO ally.

FILE PHOTO: First parts of a Russian S-400 missile defense system are seen after unloaded from a Russian plane at Murted Airport, known as Akinci Air Base, near Ankara, Turkey, July 12, 2019. Turkish Military/Turkish Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

The ministry said a fourth Russian cargo plane landed at the Murted air base near the Turkish capital Ankara, a day after three huge Russian air force AN-124 planes offloaded equipment at the base.

Washington has tried for months to prevent the deal, arguing that the Russian S-400 air defense system is incompatible with NATO systems. It also says that if the S-400s are deployed near U.S. F-35 jets, which Turkey is buying and helping to produce, they would undermine the stealth fighter planes’ defenses.

U.S. officials had warned that Turkey would be thrown off the F-35 program if it took delivery of the S-400s, and would also face sanctions under U.S. legislation seeking to prevent countries from buying military equipment from Russia.

Turkey says S-400 is a strategic defense requirement, above all to secure its southern borders with Syria and Iraq. It says that when it made the deal with Russia for the S-400s, the United States and Europe had not presented a viable alternative.

The dispute between the countries with the two largest armies in NATO marks a deep division in the Western military alliance, which was forged after World War Two to counter Moscow’s military power.

Reaction from Washington was limited on Friday, with acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper saying the U.S. stance had not changed. Esper later spoke with Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar.

“Minister Akar told his U.S. counterpart that Turkey remains under a serious air and missile threat and that purchase of S-400 defense systems was not an option but rather a necessity,” a Turkish Defence Ministry statement said.

Investors in Turkey have been unsettled by the deal and the prospect of sanctions, a year after a dispute with Washington over the trial of a U.S. pastor in Turkey contributed to a financial crisis which drove Turkey’s economy into recession.

The Turkish lira weakened as much as 1.6% to 5.7780 against the dollar on Friday, before recovering somewhat.

Russia’s TASS news agency quoted an unnamed military-diplomatic source on Friday as saying that a further delivery – of 120 guided missiles – would be carried out by ship at the end of the summer.

Reporting by Dominic Evans; Editing by Mark Heinrich

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2019-07-13 08:15:00Z
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Turkey Accepts Russian S-400 Missile System, Rankling U.S. And NATO - NPR

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A Russian cargo plane carrying parts of Russia's S-400 missile defense system landed at a military air base near Ankara on Friday. Stringer ./Reuters hide caption

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Stringer ./Reuters

The first pieces of the S-400 missile system Turkey bought from Russia — against the wishes of the U.S. and NATO — began arriving Friday, according to Turkey's National Defense Ministry. In response, the Pentagon is expected to announce that Turkey will be barred from receiving the new F-35 fighter.

Turkey had planned to buy 100 F-35s, which is produced by Lockheed Martin Corp. But in the months since Turkey announced in 2017 that it also planned to install Russia's S-400 air-defense missile system, the U.S. has repeatedly said Turkey can have one or the other — but not both.

"If Turkey procures the S-400, it will mean they will not receive the F-35. It's that simple, " acting Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said last month.

Beyond implying a crisis of solidarity in the NATO alliance, the Russia-Turkey deal has been criticized by the U.S. and its allies because of the potential for sensitive information to be sent back to Russia by its advanced missile system.

Describing the worries of U.S. military officials, NPR's David Welna reported earlier this year:

"The S-400, they say, is designed to detect and shoot down stealth fighters like the F-35. Planting that air-defense system on Turkish soil could, by means of its powerful radar, help Moscow discover the secrets — and the vulnerabilities — of the F-35s that Turkey intends to acquire."

Despite warnings from the U.S. that buying the Russian system could prompt sanctions, Turkey went ahead with the deal. On Friday, Turkey's defense ministry announced via Twitter that the first component had arrived at the Murted Air Base in Ankara. Photos from the scene showed a large Russian cargo jet landing and opening its nose cone to unload large equipment — which was kept under tarps.

With the Russian system now landing on Turkish soil, NATO said on Friday that it's "concerned" about Russian missiles being deployed by a NATO ally.

"It is up to Allies to decide what military equipment they buy," a NATO official tells NPR. "However, we are concerned about the potential consequences of Turkey's decision to acquire the S-400 system."

Noting that NATO members see the interoperability of their military forces as a fundamental strength of the alliance, the official added, "We welcome that Turkey is working with several Allies on developing long-range air and missile defense systems."

According to Russia's state-run Tass media, Turkey is paying some $2.5 billion to acquire the missile system.

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2019-07-12 13:26:00Z
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Turkey takes delivery of Russian missile system, despite risk of US sanctions - CNBC

A Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system.

Sergei Malgavko | TASS via Getty Images

Turkey has taken delivery of a controversial Russian missile defense system, angering U.S. officials and potentially triggering sanctions from Washington.

The shipment of S-400 components arrived in an airbase in the capital Ankara on Friday, the Turkish defense ministry said in an announcement on Twitter.

Following the announcement, the Turkish lira weakened 0.6% versus the U.S. dollar as the potential for U.S. sanctions was factored in by currency traders.

Timothy Ash, emerging markets senior sovereign strategist at Bluebay Asset Management said in an email Friday that the purchase marked a watershed for global military spend.

"If Turkey is able to buy S-400s without sanction, then a queue of over NATO members will be buying Russian military equipment which is often very cost effective and supplied on non-commercial terms," he said.

Ash added that the warming of ties between Turkey and Russia and the sale of the S-400 was "a huge challenge to the F35 project," and a "huge blow to the US defence industry."

A U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter approaches at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

U.S. Air Force photo by Samuel King Jr.

U.S. officials see Ankara's purchase of the missile system as a worrying pivot toward warmer ties with Moscow. Turkey's integration of the Russian S-400 system is also viewed as a direct threat to the security of Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet program.

Turkey has helped to build the F-35s and intends to buy at least 100 of the planes. However, Pentagon officials have said they do not want the hi-tech jets to be located near Russian engineers, who would be working in Turkey to install and support the S-400 systems.

"NATO countries need to procure military equipment that is interoperable with NATO systems. A Russian system would not meet that standard," a U.S. State Department official told CNBC on Monday.

The same official said that Turkey would face consequences for pursuing the deal.

Any potential sanctions would come under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which President Donald Trump signed in August 2017. At least 13 countries have expressed interest in buying a Russian missile system, despite the potential for triggering U.S. penalties.

Recharging an S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile system in military training of the 428th Zvenigorod Guards Missile Regiment on combat duty.

Mikhail Japaridze | TASS | Getty Images

The S-400 is viewed as the best missile available for engaging targets at longer distances, able to track and destroy stealth bombers, aircraft and cruise missiles.

A long-range radar tracks potential targets and relays data to a command vehicle. The command vehicle orders a launch and selects the best placed launch pad, usually cited on a truck. A separate engagement radar then guides the missile to the target.

U.S. NATO ambassador and former U.S. senator, Bailey Hutchison, told CNBC in June that Russia is trying to "continue to probe ways" to disrupt and weaken the NATO alliance, adding that a Russian missile system under the same military control as an F-35 fighter jet was unacceptable.

"You have to make a choice. You can have one or the other but not both," she said.

CNBC's Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

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2019-07-12 10:50:12Z
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