Turkish authorities temporarily detained an American service member this week over alleged ties to U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen who is considered a terrorist by Ankara, news reports revealed on Thursday.
Tensions between the United States and Turkey have reportedly led to media reports that the U.S. intends to withdraw its troops from Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that his forces are prepared to push all the way across Syria to the Iraqi border in their campaign against Syrian Kurdish forces, fueling fears that Turkey’s incursion will trigger a new refugee wave, and could end in a confrontation with the U.S. military.
Samil Tayyar, a deputy for the ruling AKP Party of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, denounced NATO as a “terror organization” in a weekend interview.
An alleged lack of allied support for Turkey’s offensive in the Middle East has reportedly prompted officials in Ankara to reconsider American use of Incirlik Air Base for their bombing campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL).
Turkey said Thursday it had the right to close a key air base used by the US-led coalition to strike jihadists in Syria, as tensions mount between NATO allies Ankara and Washington.
Contents: Terrorist car bomb in southern Turkey kills two; Turkey furious at EU parliament’s vote to end accession talks
Contents: Turkey’s downward spiral continues with massive wedding terror attack; Report: US military moving nuclear weapons from Turkey to Romania; Turkey’s Erdogan announces a complete U-turn on Syria policy
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere on Wednesday defended a leaked government report alleging Turkey was a hub for Islamist groups, a charge that has further strained tensions with Ankara, a key partner in efforts to stem mass migration.
The Stimson Center, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, D.C., has published a report warning that American nuclear weapons stored at Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base could be captured by “terrorists or other hostile forces.”
Contents: Truck bombing by PKK terrorists kills seven in southeastern Turkey; Turkey threatens EU migrant deal, saying EU is humiliating Turkey, not helping; Turkey’s failed coup raises concerns about nuclear weapons at Incirlik Air Base
The security situation in Turkey has deteriorated to the point where the United States is considering a ban against family members accompanying both military and civilian deployments.
Members of the anti-American nationalist Turkish Youth Union (TGB) attacked an American soldier at the nation’s İncirlik Air Base on Saturday, attempting to cover his head in a sack and proclaiming that America was “responsible for… the terrorism in our country.”
Stunning news from Turkey highlights the deteriorating security situation, as the U.S. military has issued a mandatory evacuation order for nearly all military families to leave Incirlik Air Base and two other military installations, in Ismir and Mugla, beginning Wednesday.
Turkey will not comply with the expected cease-fire in Syria if Ankara’s security is perceived to be under threat, according to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
Contents: Turkey’s military strikes Kurdish positions in Syria, north of Aleppo; Saudi Arabia and Turkey plan joint ground troop incursion into Syria; The death of Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia
Contents: Turkey blames ISIS for Saturday’s massacre as anti-government anger grows; Turkey is seen as increasingly unstable after massacre
Six American F-16 jets have arrived at Incirlik air base in Turkey, following the Turkish government’s agreement to allow U.S. planes to fly bombing runs against ISIS from their air fields. Last week saw the first strike missions carried out by drones, which were flying unarmed reconnaissance from Incirlik prior to Turkey’s change in policy.
The increased level of Turkish cooperation with American efforts against the Islamic State (ISIS) has produced the uncomfortable side effect of the Turks declaring open season on our most vital ally, the Kurds. At least the Turks are making good on their promise to allow more extensive American use of their airbases, as the Pentagon says armed US drones are now operating from the Incirlik Air Base.
Contents: Turkey’s warplanes bomb ISIS and PKK strongholds in Syria; Commodities and world trade plunge, signaling stock market decline; China’s stock market partially ‘recovers’ after destruction
Contents: Turkey’s politics become vitriolic after Suruç massacre; In major reversal, Turkey will let US use Incirlik to fight ISIS in Syria; Turkish soldier killed by ISIS in first gunfight across Syrian border
