Russian Federation accuses USA of cover-up over ISIS oil smuggling to Turkey

“When US officials say they don’t see how the terrorists’ oil is smuggled to Turkey…it smells badly of a desire to cover up these acts”, said Russian Defense Ministry in a Saturday statement on Facebook.

The pause is the latest complication over Turkey’s role, testing the patience of USA war planners, who want a more assertive Turkish contribution – particularly in securing a section of border with Syria that is seen as a crucial supply route for the Islamic State. USA concern is focused on a roughly 60-mile (100-km) stretch used by the Islamic State to shuttle foreign fighters and illicit trade back and forth.

While the U.S. has long hyped the problem of ISIS oil smuggling, the recent Russian Defense Ministry presentation, showing significant evidence of Turkey being involved in buying ISIS oil and taking it to refineries run by the Turkish government, has changed their tune.

At the same time, the USA confirmed that oil trade between Islamic State and some buyers on Turkish territory does exist, as its officials admitted that small amounts of oil could, in fact, be crossing the Turkish-Syrian border in tanker trucks, though they claimed the volume is “of no significance”.

Turkey has been backed by its allies North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the United States, with the U.S. state department reiterating on Monday that its data “corroborated” Turkey’s version of events.

According to the ministry, Islamic State oil is transported to Turkey with “hundreds of oil trucks and heavy vehicles moving both to and from the Turkish border”, as ministry spokesman Lieutenant-General Sergey Rudskoy said during the presentation.

Instead, US officials told reporters, the oil pumped in eastern Syria is refined in ad hoc desert pits equipped with crude stills and sold on the war zone black-market within Syria and neighbouring Iraq. “Apart from that, Turkey takes part in identifying targets and providing logistics and bases”. Moscow has banned some Turkish food imports as part of a wider package of retaliatory sanctions.

Following Turkey shooting down a Russian military jet in the last week of November, Russian officials have resurrected accusations by rivals of Turkey’s most powerful leaders that Ankara has covertly fueled the rise of Islamic State.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the status of Turkish flights since the incident.

U.S. officials stressed that overall coalition air operations had been unaffected by the tensions between Turkey and Russian Federation. “We frankly see no evidence, none, to support such an accusation”, State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said.