'US should sanction Turkey' for selling drones to other nations, says ex-Pentagon official

Former Pentagon official for Washington DC, Michael Rubin has suggested that the Biden administration should consider how Turkey is destabilising the security situation in Africa's Great Lakes regions to the Caucasus and from Indian Kashmir to Libya. He said the White House and the US Congress should sanction Turkey's defence industry, reported ANI, citing the 19fortyfive report.

Rubin said that the US Congress should impose sanctions on Baykar and other Turkish firms for promoting Erdogan's strategy of using drones to create chaos and then profit from it.

US should understand destabilisation caused by Turkey, says former US Pentagon official

This development came after a Turkish Air Force cargo plane landed at Goma's airport in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo earlier this month. The aircraft contained equipment the Turkish military wanted to provide the Congolese army as it continues to fight with local groups in the region.

It is pertinent to note that the plane contained equipment such as combat drones that, according to Rashid Abdi of Nairobi-based Sahan Research, could create unrest in the strategic balance between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. "The drone could escalate tension between the two nations at a time when Secretary of State Antony Blinken has worked overtime to settle disputes," wrote Rubin for 19fortyfive.

Why does Turkey provide military weapons to other nations?

If reports are to be believed, by providing drones and military equipment, Turkey seeks to gain diplomatic and financial benefits. Something similar was done by Turkey in Libya: exporting drones, threatening adversaries, and trying to get financial rewards. According to reports, the Turkish defence department made a profit of as much as $4 million in 2022 by selling war weapons.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had also expressed that he was proud of his defence industry and was determined to make 2023 a turning point.

"We are determined to make 2023 a turning point in the defence industry," Erdogan said on January 9, 2023.