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Turkey arms supplies to Syria militants increased: Syrian army

Saturday, 28 November 2015 6:41 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 28 November 2015 6:44 PM ]

In this file photo, a foreign-backed militant takes cover during clashes with the Syrian army in Azaz, northwestern Syria. (AP photo)

Syria’s military says Ankara has recently increased its supplies of weapons, ammunition and equipment to militant groups fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

The Syrian army command made the announcement in a statement released on Saturday, saying that Turkey sends the arms in shipments claiming they are humanitarian aid.

The statement added that Turkey had targeted the Syrian army positions with a number of mortar shells on Friday night.

Ankara has repeatedly been accused of being one of the main supporters of the militant groups operating in Syria, with reports saying that Turkey actively trains and arms the Takfiri militants there and facilitates their safe passage into the Arab country.

Turkish opposition daily Cumhuriyet published videos in a June report implicating the Turkish Intelligence Service, also known as the MIT, in ensuring safe passage into Syria for the Takfiri Daesh terrorists.

A still image grabbed from a video published on the website of the Turkish *Cumhuriyet* daily on May 29, 2015 shows mortar shells in boxes intercepted on a truck reportedly destined for Syria.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has also said Russia has information that the son of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has interest in oil business with the militants in Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously accused Turkey of buying oil from Daesh, saying satellite images show long lines of trucks purportedly carrying oil from Daesh-controlled areas in northeast Syria into Turkey. Erdogan on Thursday denied the accusations.

Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi has also said that Turkey’s recent downing of a Russian jet near the Syrian border was in response to Russia’s airstrikes that hit oil tankers en route from Syria to Turkey.

Moscow has been engaged in an air campaign since September 30 against Daesh and other militant groups in Syria.

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