Another scandalous allegation: NSA spying on Turkey

Germany-based weekly Der Spiegel yesterday claimed that the U.S. intelligence National Security Agency (NSA) has been spying on Turkey through its secret services in Turkey's capital city Ankara and Istanbul after the magazine asserted in previous weeks that German intelligence (BDN) has been keeping tabs on Turkey.

The magazine published certain documents that were leaked by former NSA agent Edward Snowden. The report, headlined "A Two-Faced Friendship: Turkey Is 'Partner and Target' for the NSA," asserted that while the NSA has cooperated with Turkey in fighting the outlawed PKK terrorist organization under the scope of NATO, it was also spying on the government, army, agents, ministries and energy companies of Turkey.

Noting that the NSA's Special Liaison Activity Turkey (SUSLAT) Office has carried out its activities in Ankara, the magazine alleged that Turkey is classified as both partner and target in the NSA's secret documents and that the U.S. has secret branch offices operating Special Collection Services with listening stations in both Istanbul and the capital city of Ankara.

"The very politicians, military officials and intelligence agency officials with whom U.S. officials work closely when conducting actions against the PKK are also considered legitimate spying targets by the NSA," asserted the magazine.

Reportedly, Turkey is listed as one of the countries most frequently targeted by the U.S. government, and the NSA is tasked with collecting data in 19 different areas, including surveillance of Turkish political leaders, to get information on their intentions. While data on "leadership intention" are classified as the second-highest priority rating in the leaked document, information on the Turkish military, its infrastructure, foreign policy goals and energy security have the third-highest priority rating, according to Der Spiegel.

Turkey is listed as one of the countries that is the most frequently targeted by Washington for surveillance, with U.S. intelligence services tasked with collecting data in 19 different areas of interest. In the document, Turkey is allegedly placed at the level of Venezuela and before Cuba in terms of U.S. interest in intelligence collection. The NSA also targets Russia, Georgia, Ukraine and Syria since the outbreak of the civil war close to Turkish soil, according to the magazine.

It asserted that the NSA shares most of the data it collected with its partners, including British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand intelligence services and added that British intelligence developed its own access to Turkey through the GCHQ spy agency, spying on political targets and elements in the energy sector to keep tabs on these areas.

Reportedly, a British document stated that in 2008, GCHQ agents were tasked to gather information about the Turkish Energy Ministry and certain enterprises such as Turkish Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ) and the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) along with then Energy Minister Hilmi Güler. Turkish-British Mehmet Şimşek, the finance minister, is also classified as a "target" in the GCHQ document, according to the magazine.

Pointing out that cooperation between the Turkish and U.S. intelligence agencies dates back to the 1940s, the report accused NSA of playing both ends against the middle today.

In August, the weekly revealed that a confidential 2009 BND document listed Turkey as a target for German intelligence gathering. Der Spiegel asserted that German intelligence was charged with gathering all related information on Turkey, including electronic and field intelligence. The BND was authorized to spy on Turkey by the German government in line with some ministers' requests as the magazine reported. German governmental officials also confirmed that Turkey was the German government's official target for German intelligence gathering in 2009's updated duty profile.