Andrew Tilghman / Military Times & RT News & Infos.360 – 2016-07-29 01:29:21
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2016/07/28/thousands-protest-outside-us-base-incirlik-turkey/87665750/
Protests in Turkey as NATO Missiles Arrive
(January 21, 2013) — A small group of protesters clashed with police on Monday as Dutch troops arrived in the NATO airbase at Incirlik in Turkey.
Thousands Protest Outside US Base in Turkey
Andrew Tilghman / Military Times
(July 28, 2016) — Thousands of Turkish protesters filled the streets outside the US military base at Incirlik, Turkey, on Thursday, burning American flags and demanding that the government close the base.
The US military maintains an arsenal of nuclear weapons at Incirlik and it is an operational hub for the air campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
The base at Incirlik, home to nearly 3,000 US troops, was placed on high alert — Force Protection Condition Delta — last week after a faction of Turkish military officers tried to overthrow the government.
The electrical power for the base was cut during the coup attempt and for several days the troops relied on a backup generator. The power was restored this week. . . .
Anti-US Rally Staged at NATO Incirlik Air Base in Turkey
RT News
(July 28, 2016) — A crowd has been protesting near the Incirlik military base in Adana, Turkey. The facility houses US and NATO forces. The demonstrators are calling for the closure of the base, where arrests and searches were made in connection with the failed coup.
Regional television has been broadcasting the rally.
Reports on social media suggest up to 1,000 people have gathered to support the demonstration. Protesters have been shouting anti-American and anti-Israel slogans, according to an RT stringer. Police have been deployed to block the entrance to the base, according to reports.
American officials have informed US citizens that the consulate in the city will be closed at the time of the protest.
The base has made the headlines recently in connection with the failed coup in Turkey, and searches have been conducted at the facility by Turkish prosecutors and police. The air base commander, General Bekir Ercan Van, has been detained at Incirlik by the Turkish authorities along with over a dozen lower ranking officers, all accused of complicity in the attempted coup.
Incirlik is used by NATO and stores US tactical nuclear weapons. Washington has been using the base in its campaign against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in neighboring Syria and Iraq.
Turkish Investigators Enter & ‘Search’
Incirlik Air Base Where US Nukes Are Housed
Infos.360
(July 17, 2016) — The authorities entered the base in southern Turkey on Monday, state-run Anadolu news agency reported, adding that the investigation is connected with the coup attempt.
Over the weekend, the airbase’s commander, General Bekir Ercan Van was detained at Incirlik by Turkish authorities along with over a dozen lower ranking officers. They all stand accused of complicity in the attempted coup.
Authorities have also reportedly claimed that at least one of the F-16 fighter jets “hijacked†by the coup plotters was refueled by an aircraft that had taken off from the Incirlik base.
The air base, which is used by NATO and stores US tactical nuclear weapons, has been recently used by Washington in its campaign against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in neighboring Syria.
The airbase was blocked by Turkish military authorities following the failed coup attempt, leading to the cancellation of airstrikes on IS targets.
The electric power supply to the base has also been cut off, forcing the US military to switch to its own internal power supply in order to resume its anti-terrorist campaign in the region.
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