Though details remain murky, a Russian jet has been shot down and both
pilots have reportedly been killed. According to Turkish officials, the
jet crossed into their airspace and was warned numerous times before being
shot-down. Russia says that the jet was over Syrian airspace.
What is clear is that both pilots ejected after their plane was hit. The
following video shows rebel forces, presumably from the CIA funded Free
Syrian Army, shooting at the pilots as they parachuted back to earth. It
appears that both were killed on their descent.
Once on the ground, a second video shows rebels around the body of one of
the Russian pilots chanting “Allahu Akbar” – or “God Is Great.”
Video: Free Syrian Army forces shoot at parachuting Russian
pilots:
(Video via Zero Hedge)
Video: Rebels chant “Allahu Akbar” over dead Russian pilot’s body:
(Video via Infowars)
Last week Chuck Norris warned that World War III started when ISIS-linked terrorists
killed over a hundred people in Paris, France.
Today, amid much confusion as to who is on what side and why, NATO-aligned
Turkey shot down a Russia military jet over what appears to be contested
airspace, as both sides claim they were in the right.
The only question now is how Russia will respond. A direct military action
against Turkey is out of the question for one simple reason: an attack on one
is an attack on all, according to the NATO charter.
Karl Denninger of The
Market Ticker explains:
Putin is*****ed off, but there’s really nothing he can do about it.
Turkey is a NATO member, so any sort of military retaliation is
off-the-board dangerous for him in that regard, and thus unlikely.
Further, it does appear that the plane not only
violated Turkish airspace but ignored warnings to leave.
As with most acts when there’s a war on, the truth is one of the first
casualties. But it makes no sense for Turkey to fire on a plane
over Syrian airspace, so at face value this looks like an
incursion (whether intentional or not) and, if you fly a military aircraft
over someone’s airspace after being warned not to, and Turkey
has made clear that this is unacceptable to them, you get the consequences up
the ‘chute.
This will be an interesting diplomatic kerfluffle but I doubt it amounts
to anything in terms of military or strategic importance.
Stay tuned.
Russia has two options. Either they strike back at Turkey and risk a
confrontation with NATO allies. Or, as Denninger notes, they back off for
now. The most likely outcome is the latter, but we can fully expect that
Vladimir Putin will ramp up military engagements against Syrian rebels,
including the Free Syrian Army going forward.
These are indeed the opening salvos of the next great war, but it may be
months or years before the powder keg is finally detonated and all hell
breaks loose.
