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IT is no longer news that, for some time now, the radical terrorist group, the Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has been terrorizing several parts of the world. The group, which still control swathes of areas in Syria and Iraq where it originated from, has been spreading its signature violence and religious radicalism across international boarders even as far as Nigeria, where a faction of Boko Haram terrorists has pledged its allegiance to the dreaded self-acclaimed jihad group.

Today, elements of ISIS and its affiliates are said to be commanding presence in no little ways in many countries, including Turkey. Turkey has been one of the major victims of ISIS attacks. The country has been hit severally by suicide bombers and blood-thirsty ISIS members, resulting in the death of hundreds of Turks and wanton destruction of property. The regular influx of refugees into the country from its southern neighbours, Iraq and Syria. as a result of the group activities has also taken a massive toll on Turkey.

However, like a Janus, the Roman god that is usually depicted as having two faces, Turkeys President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, appears to be having a double dealings on taking the fight to ISIS. He has instead prefer a cosmetic approach in tackling the terrorist group. Erdogan had once closed Incirlik Air Base that was being used by United States to launch attacks against the Islamic State, thereby grounding flights and cutting off power.

Apart from allowing Islamic State fighters to regularly have a free passage through Turkeys porous borders, while at the same time claiming to be raining torrents of bombs on ISIS, Erdogans subtle support for the group manifested in faraway Albania few days ago where a teacher working at a Turkish government-funded religious school conversed with a student about how the ISIS militants sought to protect Islam and provide protection to the Muslim people of Syria, Palestine, and Egypt.

The teacher, in the Erdogan and his ruling AK Party sponsored school, was shown by the private television station TVKlan debating with students and making strong statements in favour of the notorious ISIS organisation and the former leader of the terrorist organisation al-Qaida, Bin Laden, said the statement from the Albanian police anti-terror department.

It is highly disturbing that a school being financed by the Turkish government is now trying to brainwash innocent children to believe on the evil-laced agenda of ISIS. Scores of Albanians are believed to have joined ISIS in the past few years, and only God knows if some teachers in the school in question do not play any role in breeding new members and sympathisers for ISIS. About two-thirds of Albanias 3 million people are Muslims. Though mainstream religious leaders have always urged believers not to join the terrorist organisation .

But many are not too surprised that a school being sponsored by Erdogan is in the eyes of the storm regarding support for Islamic radicalism. The Turkish president has a penchant for using religion as a tool to achieve his obsession for authoritarian power. Since his assumption of power in 2003, Erdoan has continued to use Islam to justify his increasingly despotic rule, and to appeal to his conservative base on the need to crack down on opposing views. With his successful bid for president in 2014, he began to use his position, shaped by a unique form of nationalistic and patriarchal Islamism, to oppress other ethnic and religious groups.

Many believe that the Turkish president can go to any length to stir up support for dreaded groups, even in other countries, to achieve his major political goal of silencing opponents and be a major entrepreneur of dictatorial rule. Turkeys Kurdish community (around 18 per cent of Turkeys population) and members of the Glen Movement, inspired by the United States based Turkish cleric, Fethullah Gulen, appear to be a major target of Erdogan. The Turkish president accused the Gulen Movement for the July 15, 2016 aborted coup that seek to topple his government even as the highly respected Gulen has denied any involvement.

While ISIS has not failed to claim responsibility for some of the major attacks in Turkey, and keeps waging vicious attacks from few kilometres away from Turkeys soil, Erdogan is either more concerned with linking some of the violence to Gulen movement or spending the states military resources battling Turkish and Syrian Kurds, even though Syrian Kurds are backed by the United States, which supports them precisely because they are fighting the Islamic State.

It is high time Erdogan purged himself of insincerity and religious rhetoric in the fight against ISIS and joined forces with other leaders to bring enduring peace to Turkey, the Middle-East and the various parts of the world.

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Turkey's Erdogan and ISIS' new breeding ground - NIGERIAN TRIBUNE (press release) (blog)

Lindsay Lohan on Friday met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian refugee and blogger Bana Alabed in Istanbul. The meeting appeared to be aimed at drawing attention to the plight of Syrian refugees. Bana, who shot to stardom while tweeting about her and her mothers day-to-day troubles in besieged Aleppo, posted a photo of the groups meeting on Twitter, writing that she was meeting with Lohan and Erdogan to support the people of Syria. In a separate video of Lohan, she wrote, Look who I am with. I have a new friend Lindsay Lohan. Lohan offers a message in the video: We want to send to all of the people in Syria and Aleppo suffering, and to all the refugees, we are here supporting you and you can hang on and be strong. Just like Bana has, she said. The Mean Girls star Lohan is rumored to have converted to Islam recently, and she has appeared on Turkish television praising Erdogans rule. The implausible meeting between the child refugee, strongman Turkish leader and former Hollywood wild child came as U.S. President Trump signed an executive order banning Syrian refugees from the U.S., along with refugees from six other countries.

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Lindsay Lohan Meets With Turkeys Erdogan - Daily Beast

THERESA May yesterday met controversial Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on a one-day visit to Ankara.

The two leaders announced a 100 million-plus defence collaboration deal on the continued development of fighter jets for Turkey.

She was the first Western leader to meet Erdogan, who has been criticised for the government's human rights record, since last year's attempted coup. The meeting follows her visit to Donald Trump in Washington.

May told the Turkish president that Britain stood with Erdogan and his defence of Turkey's democracy, but warned him it was "important" to uphold human rights.

Speaking to Erdogan as they addressed the press at his presidential palace, the Prime Minister said: "Turkey is one of the UK's oldest friends, our relations stretch back over 400 years but there is much that we can do in the future to build on that relationship together.

"I'm proud the UK stood with you on July 15 last year in defence of your democracy. Now it's important that Turkey sustains that democracy by maintaining the rule of law and upholding its international human rights obligations, as the government has undertaken to do."

May had come under pressure to raise human rights issues with the Turkish president, who has imposed a state of emergency involving waves of arrests, the closure of numerous media outlets and the removal of thousands of public officials - including judges, academics and teachers - from their jobs.

Speaking before the PM's arrival in Turkey, Amnesty International's UK director Kate Allen said the visit was a "vital opportunity" for May to ask "probing questions" about allegations of excessive use of force and ill-treatment of detainees by Erdogan's security forces.

The human rights situation in Turkey had "deteriorated markedly" during the state of emergency imposed after last July's botched coup, said Amnesty.

May and Erdogan also discussed counter-terrorism, security, trade and migration in talks which stretched for an hour longer than scheduled.

During the visit, the UK-based BAE Systems and Turkish Aerospace Industries signed a Heads of Agreement document establishing a partnership for the continued development of the Turkish Fighter Programme (TF-X).

British officials said the contract would safeguard high-skill jobs at BAE Systems and could lead to opportunities worth billions of pounds over the lifetime of the project, with potential future contracts to provide engines, weapons, radars and sensors.

It was hoped the deal would pave the way for a deeper defence partnership, effectively making the UK Turkey's partner of choice for key aerospace technology.

May, who has made preparations for closer post-Brexit trading links her top priority for the Turkey trip, said: "This agreement underlines once again that Britain is a great, global, trading nation and that we are open for business.

"It marks the start of a new and deeper trading relationship with Turkey and will potentially secure British and Turkish jobs and prosperity for decades to come."

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After Trump ... May meets Erdogan and signs defence deal - Herald Scotland

Theresa May and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoan have signed a 100m commitment to build new fighter jets, in a deal Downing Street hopes will see Britain become Turkeys leading defence partner.

Despite concerns about Erdoans human rights record and the increasingly authoritarian tone of his government, which has locked up thousands of political dissidents and protestors, a Downing Street spokeswoman said the two issues human rights and trade were distinct.

I think those are separate issues; Turkey is an important Nato partner, so our cooperation on both security and defence is in line with that.

She added: The PMs approach is quite clear: she thinks it is important and in the UKs interests to engage with Turkey.

Speaking alongside Erdogan in his vast office, May did take the opportunity to raise the issue of human rights, saying, Im proud that the UK stood with you on the 15 July last year in defence of democracy and now it is important that Turkey sustains that democracy by maintaining the rule of law and upholding its international human rights obligations as the government has undertaken to do.

In his statement, Erdogan stressed the possibilities for boosting trade between the two nations, saying they had talked extensively about the jet deal and predator drones.

Asked about the crackdown that followed last years attempted coup against Erdoans leadership, Mays spokeswoman said: We have expressed strong support for Turkeys democracy and institutions following the coup, but have also been very clear that we urge Turkeys response to be proportionate and in line with international human rights obligations.

May and Erdoan appeared alongside each other at his lavish presidential palace on a hill overlooking Ankara.

The prime minister, who had earlier laid a wreath at the mausoleum of Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, said: This agreement underlines once again that Britain is a great, global trading nation and that we are open for business.

It marks the start of a new and deeper trading relationship with Turkey and will potentially secure British and Turkish jobs and prosperity for decades to come.

Britain is keen to show it can strike lucrative trade deals as it prepares to exit the European Union, and the prime minister flew to Ankara straight from Washington, where she became the first foreign leader to visit Donald Trump in the White House.

The defence deal will see BAE Systems collaborate with Turkish companies to build a bespoke Turkish jet, the TF-X. It is worth 100m small in economic terms but Britain hopes it will kick off a longstanding relationship, and open the door to becoming Turkeys main defence provider. We would expect this to unlock further deals, the spokeswoman said.

May and Erdoan also agreed to form a joint working group to begin talking about a bilateral trade deal that could be signed after Brexit.

Britain currently trades with Turkey under its trade deal with the EU, which will no longer be valid when Britain leaves. The working group will be the 13th Britain has established to scope out potential agreements.

As well as signing the so-called heads of agreement for the jet deal, May and Erdoan discussed security cooperation and counterterrorism.

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Theresa May signs 100m fighter jet deal with Turkey's Erdoan - The Guardian

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan took a break Friday from dealing with his country's domestic issues to meet with actress Lindsay Lohan and Bana Alabed, the seven-year-old Syrian girl who attracted worldwide attention by tweeting about life in war-torn Aleppo.

Alabed -- who has been living in Turkey since she was evacuated from Aleppo on Dec. 19 -- tweeted a Periscope video with Lohan, writing, "look who I am with ... I have a new friend Lindsay Lohan."

In the 30-second video, Lohan, 30, says, "We want to send to all of the people in Syria and Aleppo suffering and all of the refugees that we are here supporting you and you can hang on, be strong, just like Bana has, and were sending you lots of love and light and blessings."

Alabed then says to Lohan, "I love you," to which the actress responds, "I love you too."

Lohan also posted a photo on Instagram Friday of herself with Alabed, Erdogan and his wife Emine, writing, "What a dream it is for Mr. President Erdogan and The First Lady to invite me to their home. Their efforts in helping Syrian Refugees is truly inspiring." Lohan also tagged President Donald Trump in the photo's caption.

Alabed tweeted the same photo writing, "Meeting with my friends @rt_erdogan, Emine and @lindsaylohan to support the people of Syria.I am searching the rights of the Syrian children

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Lindsay Lohan Meets With Turkish President Erdogan and Syrian Refugee Bana Alabed - ABC News