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| Middle East |
| Turkey boosts US troop switch |
| 2004-01-11 |
| THE US military has begun using a sprawling air base in southern Turkey for a massive rotation of troops for Iraq, a US official said today, a sign of improved relations with the NATO ally. The permission to use Turkey’s southern Incirlik air base strikes a sharp contrast to last year, when Turkey refused to allow US troops on its territory for the war against its southern neighbour. It comes as Turkey is increasingly eager to win favour with the United States amid concerns over Iraqi Kurdish demands for greater autonomy in oil-rich northern Iraq. Turkey, and neighbours Syria and Iran, fear Iraqi Kurds might eventually push for independence, which they fear could bring instability to their borders. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to raise Turkey’s concerns about Iraq during talks with US President George W. Bush in Washington later this month. The use of Incirlik comes as a relief to the US military as it deals with the largest movement of troops in decades. It is preparing to send about 130,000 US troops in Iraq home over the coming months. The troops are to be replaced by a more mobile, less heavily armed force of about 110,000. Incirlik is only an hour’s flight from Iraq and the US military has maintained a presence there since the 1950s, making it an ideal location to support the rotations. There were doubts about the future of the US presence at Incirlik after the snub by Turkey’s parliament last year. The decision, which drove a deep wedge between Turkey and the United States, proved an obstacle for US war planners and disrupted plans for a ground invasion from the north. In a sign of Incirlik’s continued significance, the US military had recently started using the base to transport soldiers out of Iraq as part of the Iraq troop rotations, a US official said today. He said the arrangement had been worked out through negotiations between the two countries and "a large number" of troops were expected to pass through Incirlik in the coming months. Camps in Kuwait and air bases in Germany are also expected to be used in the rotation. Points in Bahrain, Qatar, and Spain could also be used. Turkish officials could not be reached today. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said on Friday there was "nothing new" at the base, but said Incirlik "has been used and will be used because the transportation of certain soldiers is more secure through Incirlik". Incirlik has long played a key role for the United States in the region. The US based about 50 war planes there after the 1991 Gulf War to patrol a no-fly zone over northern Iraq. It withdrew them, however, last year amid the tension between the two countries. After the war, Turkey agreed to open Incirlik and other sites to the US-led coalition for logistical support as part of efforts to improve ties with Washington. Turkey even offered to send peacekeepers to Iraq, but that offer was shelved amid strong Iraqi opposition. The 1400 US soldiers at Incirlik - half as many as before the war - had been supporting the Iraq operation with tankers to fuel aircraft in Iraq and by delivering supplies to Iraq. The base had also occasionally sent troops to help support the Iraq mission, he added. During a visit to Ankara last month, US Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman said the US military wanted to continue using Incirlik as it realigned American troops and bases to better respond to new threats such as terrorism. That realignment is likely to close or scale down many of the permanent bases set up in Germany and other NATO nations to face the Soviet threat. US officials said it was too early to say if additional troops might be sent to Incirlik as part of the realignment. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #3 That was big of them...not! |
| Posted by: Hiryu 2004-1-11 4:23:24 PM |
| #2 Maybe they've come to thier senses but i wonder how long before thier scitzophrenic (spelling there lol) goverment will change its mind and say out out out. |
| Posted by: Jon Shep U.K 2004-1-11 3:16:00 PM |
| #1 If we can't use Incirlik for live fire exercises let's close the damn thing down. Col. Q. would be happy to see 5000 jobs. Hell did I say live fire? I mean above ground Nuclear Testing... right Mr. F.? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-1-11 3:14:11 PM |