In Turkey, New Demands for US to Be Expelled From Incirlik Air Base

Major Newspaper Cites US Support for Kurds in Effort

Throughout the US military involvement against ISIS in Syria, they’ve heavily relied on their air base in Incirlik, Turkey. The use of this base has also given Turkey some potential leverage over US operations, which again are being brought to bear, with a new round of calls to expel the US from the base.

The most recent call was in major national newspaper Sozcu, where a front-page editorial was published on Friday calling for the base’s complete closure to express displeasure over the US military’s growing support for the Kurdish YPG, which is considered a terrorist organization within Turkey.

The YPG controls much of northeastern Syria, and the US has been supporting their territorial gains against ISIS. Despite mounting complaints from Turkey, the Trump Administration last week announced plans to arm the YPG with even more heavy weaponry.

Such an expulsion is unlikely to happen right now, with President Erdogan planning to visit the US this month, and the timing of the announcement was likely based on limiting Turkey’s ability to react, beyond likely complaining during the visit itself.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.