Following a failed coup in Turkey, 6,000 military officers, soldiers and others have been arrested.
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A Saudi jet fighter lands at Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey.
The defense official told Anadolu Agency, however, that the European Command “made the decision for Force Protection Condition Level Delta at Incirlik by 7.30 a.m. (0430GMT) Saturday local time” when actually the coup attempt was almost over.
Turkish military aircraft fired on major Turkish cities in an attempted coup overnight Friday, prompting Ankara to close its airspace.
“As a result, counter-ISIL coalition air operations at all air bases in Turkey have resumed”, he added, using an acronym for the IS group.
“Turkey suspects a small group of Turkish troops stationed at Incirlik supported the coup attempt”, said the official.
Turkey, by virtue of geography, is a crucial player in the US -led campaign to target Islamic State militants in neighboring Iraq and Syria. In Egypt, the USA temporarily cut off aid in 2012 when a democratically elected government was overthrown, but financial support resumed after coup leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was elected president, amid concerns about Islamic extremists in the country.
“As of this time, there has been no impact to Incirlik Air Base, and counter-ISIL air operations from Incirlik continue”, a US defense official said late Friday, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.
Incirlik is a significant base for coalition attacks on the on the Islamic State, and its temporary closure does a number on that operation.
The airspace was closed by 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Officials say there has been no move yet to turn it back on.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg tweeted that he had confirmed in a Saturday phone call with NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, who also heads U.S. European Command, that all U.S. and NATO personnel in Turkey were safe and accounted for. Analysts are already predicting further deterioration of relations between the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies as Turkey tightens the screws against what it sees as threats to the government’s stability, partiuclarly if the US does not hand over Fethullah Gulen, the Pennsylvania-based cleric whom Turkish president Erdogan has accused of being behind the coup, to Turkey. Gulen, who lives in exile in the US and is an advocate for democracy and interfaith dialogue, denied any involvement.
Secretary of State John Kerry said the US would review any request that included “legitimate evidence”.
Cook tried to deflect any suggestion of a rift with regard to why the defense chiefs have not yet spoken days after the attempted coup.
“He made clear that the United States would be willing to provide assistance to Turkish authorities conducting this investigation, but that public insinuations or claims about any role by the United States in the failed coup attempt are utterly false and harmful to our bilateral relations”, State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
The Turkish authorities “have absolutely assured us of their commitment to the fight against Daesh”, he added, using a term for the IS group. Access to the base has been critical for the coalition, allowing the U.S.to get to targets in nearby Syria far more quickly. Prior to being able to fly out of Incirlik, the USA had relied exclusively on bases in the Middle East and carriers in the Persian Gulf to conduct operations.
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In July 2015, Turkey agreed to open up Incirlik to U.S. manned and unmanned aircraft to conduct anti-terror operations in Syria against Daesh.
