Ahval: U.S. military is reducing presence at Turkey’s Incirlik air base
The U.S. military has sharply reduced combat operations at Turkey’s İncirlik air base and is considering permanent cutbacks there, reports the Wall Street Journal. The U.S. officials told the WSJ that this shift was driven by tensions between Washington and Ankara.
The U.S. has used the base to conduct airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq since 2015, but the deteriorating relations between the U.S. and Turkey have made it challenging for the U.S. to operate at Incirlik.
Turkish government sees İncirlik as an important leverage against the U.S.
For example, in May 2017, Can Acun, a political analyst at the pro-AKP think tank SETA foundation said, “İncirlik is the main air base for the U.S.-led coalition. A sanction in this regard would place the U.S. into a tough spot”, the paper reports.
In January, the US moved A-10 ground jets from İncirlik base, leaving only refueling aircraft. The number of military members living at the base have also been reduced. At the time, the Pentagon explained the move on the basis of its decision to step up operations in Afghanistan.
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WNU Editor: The U.S. is denying these reports .... US ‘denies’ reducing operations at Turkey’s İncirlik base due to bilateral tensions (Hurriyet Daily News). My take is that the war against the Islamic State is winding down, and that the U.S. is relying more on its "other allies" in the region over Turkey.
