US Families Ordered Out of Southern Turkey as Security Worsens

The US Consulate in Adana, the Incirlik Air Base, and two other locations in southern Turkey are all facing orders from the State and Defense Departments for the families of diplomats and military staff to leave the region.

Officials are denying any specific threat, but say that the decision is based on worsening security concerns in Turkey, which is facing a growing number of suicide bombings and other attacks in recent weeks. Families elsewhere in Turkey, including the capital of Ankara and Istanbul, are not affected by the new orders.

The State Department said they’d been considering the move for “several weeks,” and that the timing had nothing to do with Turkish officials visiting Washington DC this week, or indeed were timed to anything else.

The State Department also issued a statement warning US citizens against travel to southeastern Turkey in general, citing increased threats of terrorism throughout Turkey. Southeastern Turkey is where the Turkish military is fighting Kurdish secessionists.