by Stephen Lendman

The news is out but bears repeating. New reports confirm it. It shouldn't surprise. It's one of the oldest stunts around. Attacks launched are blamed on victims. Wars follow. More on Turkey's false flag below.

Sinking the Lusitania in May 1915 preceded America's April 1917 WW I entry. The 1933 Reichstag fire helped Hitler assume dictatorial powers.

On August 31, 1939, Nazis impersonating Poles attacked a Gleiwitz radio station. It was on the border between the two countries. WW II followed.

Roosevelt manipulated the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbor. It gave him the war he wanted. Japan's fleet was tracked across the Pacific. Pearl Harbor's Admiral HE Kimmel wasn't warned. Casualties were needed to turn pacifist Americans into raving Japan haters and get congressional support.

Numerous other false flags followed. The August 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident is well-known. Over a decade of war followed. For suffering Vietnamese it never ended.

In August 1990, Washington colluded with Kuwait's al-Sabah monarchy. Saddam was entrapped to invade. In January 1991, the Gulf War began. Genocidal sanctions, more war, occupation, and destruction of the "cradle of civilization" followed.

September 11, 2001 was the Big Lie of our time. Virtually everything about the official story was falsified. Most Americans still believe it. Wars on humanity rage out-of-control. Millions of corpses attest to Washington's viciousness.

False flags are an American tradition. Big Lies launch wars. Official accounts are fake. Propaganda works that way. Turkey's ruling government is a Washington tool. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a useful stooge. So are top officials around him.

They threaten world peace and their own people. On October 6, Hurriyet Daily News headlined "Turkey not far away from war: Erdogan."

On October 5, he said:

"We are not war-lovers, but we are not far from war either….I am calling once more on the al-Assad regime and its supporters: Don’t dare to test Turkey’s patience."

"We are not bluffing and we will follow this incident closely. God willing, the Syrian people would soon be saved from this cruelty and governed by an administration that guarantees the rights of all parties."

He referred to the alleged Syrian mortar attack. Five Turkish nationals were killed. What he omitted says more than he revealed. Early reports suggested perhaps a stray Syrian mortar accidentally struck Turkish territory.

On October 6, Reuters and other news services reported more mortars from Syrian territory landing in Turkish territory. For four consecutive days, Turkish artillery shelled in response.

Erdogan is Washington's lead regional belligerent. Smell a rat about what's going on because there is one.

On October 6, the Syrian National News Agency (SANA) headlined "Yurt Newspaper: Erdogan's Government Handed over the Mortars to Armed (Free Syrian Army) Groups in Syria which Shelled Akcakale Town."

Yurt is a Turkish newspaper. Contributor Ali Sirmen reported what's going on. He said Erdogan is acting on Washington's behalf. He's complicit in war crimes.

"The Newspaper also revealed that the bomber which was used to launch the mortar on the Turkish Akcakale town is only used by NATO."

Editor-in Chief Merdan Yanardag explained more. He claimed he had information from a reliable source. He said "Turkey was the side which sent the mortars to the members of the so-called" Free Syrian Army.

This information "affirms that the Government of Erdogan's wrong policy was behind the falling of the mortar in the town that claimed the lives of 5 Turks."

Hamsayeh.Net (Iran & International News Online) reported the same story. On October 6, it also headlined "Turkey Attempts to Trigger a NATO-led War on Syria, saying:

Turkey is one of 28 NATO countries. It's very much part of Washington's imperial wars. In 2011, it helped wage war on Libya. It's doing it now on Syria.

Even The New York Times admitted that it's unknown who's responsible for mortars landing in Turkey. Ankara's knee-jerk response was scripted in Washington. False flag planning originated there.

Obama officials orchestrated the whole show. Ousting Assad was planned years ago. Only its timing remained to be determined. It arrived and continues daily. Turkey's false flag suggests full-scale intervention perhaps looms.

Whether it precedes or follows US elections doesn't matter. It's likely coming. Perhaps Libya 2.0 is planned. NATO already is involved. Lead belligerents include America, Britain, France, and Turkey.

On October 6, Press TV headlined "Syrian army kills dozens of insurgents including four Turks," saying:

Syria reported four Turkish nationals were killed in Aleppo. It's not clear whether or not they were combatants. Perhaps more information will clarify.

In March 2012, Syrian forces captured 13 French officers. They were caught redhanded with FSA fighters. At the time, France's foreign ministry dismissed the report. Lying is official policy.

On October 4, Syria News headlined "Turkey: Syrian rebels have taken responsibility for attack on Turkish village?!" saying:

Germany's ZDF television reported the news. It said:

"Rockets and Mortar Fire – Turkey exacts vengeance for an attack from the Syrian side which took place yesterday afternoon. For weeks, Ankara has warned for any provocation in direction to Turkey. Until late at night, the fighting has taken place. Meanwhile, Syrian rebels have taken responsibility for this provocation."

Another ZDF program called "Heute in Europa" reported the same story, saying:

"Yesterday night, Turkey took revenge for attacks from REBELS in Syria that have previously attacked a Turkish border village."

Mortars were launched from territory controlled by FSA fighters. A leaked video clip said they admitted responsibility for striking Akcakale and killing five Turkish nationals.

On October 6, Mossad-connected DEBKAfile headlined "Syrian soldiers told to stay 10km from Turkish border, forming buffer zone."

They were ordered out of artillery range. "Turkey had begun clearing a 10 km deep strip on the Syrian border" to facilitate FSA movement. The London Guardian reported the same thing.

Clearly the ball advanced closer to war. False flag provocations make it more likely.

On October 6, Voice of Russia's Roman Mamonov headlined "Turkey Effectively Declares War Against Syria," saying:

Ankara preparations are underway. Parliamentary authorization was approved. Institute of Strategic Estimates expert Azhdar Kurtov said:

"Declarations made by the Turkish leadership speak for themselves. This is not just militant rhetoric but an order to the armed forces, in case of an emergency, to cross the border and carry out military activities on Syrian territory. What is this if not a war?"

"Though, certainly, Turkish commanders and politicians will think twice before starting an invasion. In my opinion, they will carry out a massive probing, just like towards another neighboring country, Iraq. The Turkish armed forces supported by their air force are quite capable of carrying out local hostilities on Syrian territory."

Damascus understands the situation. It's doing what it can to cool tensions. It's impossible when foreign militants launch cross-border attacks from its territory on Turkey.

It's a setup, a provocative false flag. At the same time, Syria's army is strong and able to retaliate. Turkey is playing with fire. Full-scale war assures all sides lose.

What's coming remains to unfold. Heightened tensions suggest the worst. It's hard imagining why Erdogan and top officials around him would risk so much for so little. Serious internal opposition exists for good reason. Whether it can stop him remains unknown.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

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