Body of shot down Russian pilot in custody of Turkish authorities

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Source: CNN

Istanbul (CNN)The body of a Russian pilot killed after his jet was shot down by the Turkish military has been handed over to Turkish authorities, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told journalists in Ankara on Sunday.

At Russia's request, the pilot had been given Orthodox funeral rites, and his body would be handed over to Russia, Turkey's semi-official Anadolu news agency reported.

The pilot's body was handed over to Turkey in the early hours of Sunday, he said. It was not immediately apparent who had custody of the body before then.

The two nations have been at odds since Turkey shot down the jet near the Turkey-Syria border on Tuesday, saying it had violated Turkish airspace. Russia has denied that claim.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/29/europe/syria-turkey-russia-warplane/

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1. Brzezinski: Luckily, Russian Su-24 Was Not Shot Down by Washington

In what might come as a surprise, Zbigniew Brzezinski, a prominent geopolitical strategist and a former National security advisor, downplayed tensions between the United States and Russia, as well as between Moscow and Ankara after the Su-24 bomber was shot out of the Syrian skies by the Turkish Air Force.

All sides opted for a measured response to what transpired on November 24 in the Syrian airspace, the analyst said in an interview with Politico.

"Putin blew out some steam but subsequently began to talk about coping with the problem. The Turks proved to be resilient and tough but without exaggerating the collision. … So in effect the parties to this unfolding drama have become more reasonable," Brzezinski observed. "But I think it was quite lucky the shoot-down in Turkey was not done by us."

http://sputniknews.com/politics/20151129/1030939474/brzezinski-su24-russia-turkey-us-relations.html

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2. Iran reveals more fighters' deaths in Syria

Beirut: An increasing number of Iranian soldiers and militiamen appear to be dying in Syria's civil war and observers credit media from an unexpected country for revealing the trend: Iran.

A flurry of reports in Iran's official and semi-official news outlets about the deaths – including funerals and even a eulogy to a fallen general by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – have surprised analysts who monitor the country's tightly controlled media.

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However, as Iranian fighters participated in a new Russian-led offensive against Syrian rebels, Iran's leaders might have a reason to offer more details of their country's involvement, said Ali Alfoneh, an Iran expert at the Washington-based Foundation for Defence of Democracies.

"They are proud of this and they want to show it," he said.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/iran-reveals-more-fighters-deaths-in-syria-20151129-glapmc.html

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3. Turkey to hand over body of Russian pilot to Moscow

Ankara: The body of a Russian pilot killed when his plane was shot down by Turkey last week will be handed over to a Russian representative after being retrieved from Syria, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Sunday.

"The pilot who lost his life during the air violation was received by us on the (Syrian) border last night," Davutoglu told reporters in Istanbul before leaving for a meeting with EU leaders in Brussels.

Davutoglu added that a Russian official would travel "soon" to the southern Hatay region with a Turkish military official to take possession of the body.

The Russian embassy in Turkey told the RIA Novosti news agency that Oleg Peskov's body would be flown today from Hatay in the presence of Russia's military attache to an aerodrome in Ankara where it would be met by the ambassador.

http://english.manoramaonline.com/news/just-in/turkey-hand-over-body-of-dead-russian-jet-pilot-moscow-davutoglu-putin.html

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4. Turkey accused of trading oil with ISIL

The Syrian army has said it has information that Turkey is supporting militant groups in Syria in exchange for stolen Syrian and Iraqi oil and artifacts. This is according to Syria's state news agency SANA.

Russian media have also been reporting Turkish involvement for some time, saying that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's son is practically controlling the country's oil industry. Russian reports say he has been buying from terrorists on the black market and transporting the oil to several ports he owns.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Turkey to investigate whether large amounts of oil have been imported to the country from the Syrian regions currently controlled by ISIL. He said that the oil transported out from the Syrian border is on an industrial scale and fuel tankers have been entering Turkey day and night.

http://english.cntv.cn/2015/11/29/VIDE1448771400287168.shtml

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5. . nt

[flamingdem]

6. Waiting for the NYT, Wapo to do some investigative reporting on this..

.. like they should have a long time ago.

[bemildred]

7. Right. Real soon now. nt

[Xolodno]

8. Oh of course! Any day now! Oh wait...what about the Kardashians......nt

[ozone_man]

9. Fascinating that the U.S. has allowed this.

But ISIS has proved useful to them.