Why Is Obama's BFF Erdogan's Turkey allegedly Harboring Terrorists?

Why Is Obama's BFF Erdogan's Turkey allegedlyHarboring Terrorists?HT: NationalJournal.

Turkey's connections to Hamas and al-Qaida have been a strain on U.S.-Turkish relations.

Turkey is arguably America's most important ally on issues in the Middle East—it's a strong NATO member, it represents the interests of the United States in several area conflicts, and it's a major partner in global counterterrorism efforts. But for a country that so publicly attacks violent extremism, it has also in several instances harbored and assisted terrorists within its own borders. Suspected connections to leaders of the terrorist organization Hamas and relationships with financiers of al-Qaida have put strains on the relationship between the U.S. and Turkey, and threaten future cooperation on security issues.

There are two major examples of extremist actors given protection and access to leaders in Turkey. The first is Saleh al-Arouri, the founder of Hamas's armed wing in the West Bank, known as the Qassam Brigades. He lives in Turkey and has, according to reports, been involved in the finance and logistics for militant operations in the region.

The second is Saudi businessman Yasin al-Qadi, who according to the U.S. government, is an al-Qaida financier. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's protective detail escorted him after he entered the country recently without a passport or visa. (Erdogan previously said, "I believe in him as I believe in myself.") He also supposedly met with Erdogan's son in January. The Treasury Department has listed him as a "specially designated global terrorist" since 2001.These connections with Turkey and its leaders, including Erdogan, have some foreign policy analysts concerned.

"It looks like you've got a guy that's off the rails there," said Jonathan Schanzer, the vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "It's an important ally for the United States. They have been managing our Syria policy. They were managing our Arab Spring policy. We've got a problem that's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore."Hmmmm....Erdogan: "Democracy is like a train. We shall get out when we arrive at the station we want."Read the full story here.