A group of lawyers aligned to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has filed formal charges against a number of US Air Force officers who are stationed at Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base. The complaint accuses them of having ties to terrorist groups, and of being in league with the banned Gulenist organization.
Since the failed 2016 military coup, Erdogan has blamed cleric Fethullah Gulen for plots against him, and has been targeting any and all perceived enemies, accusing them of being in league with Gulen. This is the first time US troops, let alone US troops inside Turkey, have faced such charges.
Analysts say they believe the charges are a direct response to last week’s imposition of sanctions against two Turkish cabinet members by the US. The sanctions were imposed in protest of Turkey’s detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been held since 2016 on accusations of Gulenist ties.
The criminal complaint names Cols. John C. Walker, Michael H. Manion, David Eaglen, David Trucksa, Lt. Cols. Timothy J.Cook, Mack R. Coker, and Sgts. Thomas S Cooper and Vegas M. Clark. Air Force officials said they were “aware” of the complaint but would not comment beyond that.
The Air Force also praised their relationship with “our Turkish military partners,” though as US-Turkey tensions continue to rise, as they have in recent years, it’s not at all clear how long the US will be able to use the Incirlik base for its military operations in the Middle East.
The lawyers, on the other hand, demanded the government halt all flights out of Incirlik to keep the US officers from fleeing the country, and called on the government to raid the base and seek to capture the officers.
Isn’t their an agreement in place about these matters? When our troops get in bar fights or rape the locals there is a mechanism to deal with that. Course seems like neither Trump nor Ergodan really are worried about agreements.
I have to say at least Turkey is standing up against the US when the US is running a currency war against the Lira. The US couldn’t kill Erdogan so the US is willing to kill the Turkish economy to break it. This is how is goes – the US will destroy what it cannot control.
So in this case I hope that Turkey breaks with NATO and turns East to the SCO. Someday soon we will wake up to Turkey breaking with the West and who could blame them irrespective of what we think of Erdogan.
I don’t even believe there was a Turkish revolution . I think it was all a planned stunt for Erdogan to say he needed more power . I might be wrong so you can give Erdogan the bennefit of the doubt . I must compliment Trump He at least goes to great effort to get our American citizens released . Out last president would even bother to mention trapped Americans name if they were held in Foreign prisons.
Our government has not been “MAGA” with regards to dealing/negotiating with Turkey. This contretemps is swiftly on its way to a diplomatic and political disaster for President Trump. Does he even care?
Turkey controls the Dardanelles and borders on Syria, Iraq, Georgia, Armenia, and Iran! It is therefore a crucial ally. You do not anger crucial allies. You let them know how crucial they are and in the case of Turkey sit down with its representatives to talk about “how can we resolve this Brunson issue without getting into a nasty spat?”
Trump no longer seems to consider Turkey an ally at all, let alone a “crucial” one. And the feeling seems to be mutual.
The alliance? Review the history of NATO Turkey, the Western sponsored military couls against civilian governments should they dare to step out of line. With Erdogan’s party coming to power, Turkey reoriented its economy to the East, and all efforts of controlling Turkey since have failed. Including the coup, that was really not much more then an attempt of assasinatingvErdogan. Turkey stepped firmly out of line in 2008 when it essentially sided with Russia in war with Georgia by sticking to Montreaux Convention essentially barring NATO warships from Black Sea. By limiting them as to the number, class and duration of stay, NATO navies were reduced to sending symbolic presence with humanitarian aid. Energy deals, exports of Turkish produce to Russia, import of grains, large presence of Turkish construction business and retail
gave boost to Turkish economy. Following Turkey’s large expansion accross Central Asia and growth of business with Iran and China, Thrkey’s economy has made a definite turn to the East. US and West continue to arm Kurds in Turkey, and made an attempt to erase Thrkish-Syrian border by propping up YPG and conveniently propped up a string of ISIS takeovers of Arab villages and towns along tge border. Naturally, for YPG to “liberate” them and thus connect Kurdish controlled Afrin in the West to Kurdish Kobane region to the East. It was fouled by Turkey by cutting through ISIS controlled Jarabulus all the way to the key crossroads of Al-Bab. For those with good memory the town if Al-Bab should mean something. It is where ISIS/US/Saudi plans for Syria/Thrkey border fell apart. Erdogan, in announcing the operation, said correctly, that he is preventing Turkey being isolated in Anatolia and cut off from Middle East by the string of Kurdish autonomies stretching from Iraq across the entire Syrian border. Battle for Al-Bab was vicious, with ISIS being supported by Western intelligence, and armed with long range artillery that decimated many Turkish positions. Turkish airforce was remarkably weak, and all cards were on the table when Russian aurforce joined Thrkish planes in joint operations, while Syrian Army cut off ISIS depth from the south. After al-Bab fell, Turkey continued pressure on US to expel Kurds from Manbij, another town with Adab population held by Kurds and US against their will. That was the time when many US propped rebels under umbrella of Free Syrian Army went under Turkish command.
These are just some low lights of US Turkish relations, if one can call them that. Turkey, as a poor and fully vontrolled vassal was OK. As a developing country with its own national interest — not acceptable. The West never evolved into a global leader, as it could not accept non-Western cultures and races as true allies, and never learned to accept their national interest to develop outside of Western controlled universe — be that in trade, finance or military. Nowhere is it more obvious then in examples of South Korea or Japan. And even within Western alliance, English speaking countries are more equal then others. Concept of security that is indivisible does not exist. It is us vs. whatever them are identified along the way. Thus, Turkey as a Sunni country, having solid relationship with Iran, a Shia country, and both working with Russia, a Christisn country in solidifying peace in Syria — sets an awfully bad example to follow! Sanction them, sanction them all! The problem is, China is underwriting global diversity for its own sake, to avoid the past mistakes when it was isolated and became prey to Western interests. Diversity and the support for development that China is advocating is underming Western exceptionalism. Even though nobody in the world denies many wonderful accomplishments of Western civilization, nobody likes missionaries with guns.
The alliance? Review the history of NATO Turkey, the Western sponsored military couls against civilian governments should they dare to step out of line. With Erdogan’s party coming to power, Turkey reoriented its economy to the East, and all efforts of controlling Turkey since have failed. Including the coup, that was really not much more then an attempt of assasinatingvErdogan. Turkey stepped firmly out of line in 2008 when it essentially sided with Russia in war with Georgia by sticking to Montreaux Convention essentially barring NATO warships from Black Sea. By limiting them as to the number, class and duration of stay, NATO navies were reduced to sending symbolic presence with humanitarian aid. Energy deals, exports of Turkish produce to Russia, import of grains, large presence of Turkish construction business and retail
gave boost to Turkish economy. Following Turkey’s large expansion accross Central Asia and growth of business with Iran and China, Thrkey’s economy has made a definite turn to the East. US and West continue to arm Kurds in Turkey, and made an attempt to erase Thrkish-Syrian border by propping up YPG and conveniently propped up a string of ISIS takeovers of Arab villages and towns along tge border. Naturally, for YPG to “liberate” them and thus connect Kurdish controlled Afrin in the West to Kurdish Kobane region to the East. It was fouled by Turkey by cutting through ISIS controlled Jarabulus all the way to the key crossroads of Al-Bab. For those with good memory the town if Al-Bab should mean something. It is where ISIS/US/Saudi plans for Syria/Thrkey border fell apart. Erdogan, in announcing the operation, said correctly, that he is preventing Turkey being isolated in Anatolia and cut off from Middle East by the string of Kurdish autonomies stretching from Iraq across the entire Syrian border. Battle for Al-Bab was vicious, with ISIS being supported by Western intelligence, and armed with long range artillery that decimated many Turkish positions. Turkish airforce was remarkably weak, and all cards were on the table when Russian aurforce joined Thrkish planes in joint operations, while Syrian Army cut off ISIS depth from the south. After al-Bab fell, Turkey continued pressure on US to expel Kurds from Manbij, another town with Adab population held by Kurds and US against their will. That was the time when many US propped rebels under umbrella of Free Syrian Army went under Turkish command.
These are just some low lights of US Turkish relations, if one can call them that. Turkey, as a poor and fully vontrolled vassal was OK. As a developing country with its own national interest — not acceptable. The West never evolved into a global leader, as it could not accept non-Western cultures and races as true allies, and never learned to accept their national interest to develop outside of Western controlled universe — be that in trade, finance or military. Nowhere is it more obvious then in examples of South Korea or Japan. And even within Western alliance, English speaking countries are more equal then others. Concept of security that is indivisible does not exist. It is us vs. whatever them are identified along the way. Thus, Turkey as a Sunni country, having solid relationship with Iran, a Shia country, and both working with Russia, a Christisn country in solidifying peace in Syria — sets an awfully bad example to follow! Sanction them, sanction them all! The problem is, China is underwriting global diversity for its own sake, to avoid the past mistakes when it was isolated and became prey to Western interests. Diversity and the support for development that China is advocating is underming Western exceptionalism. Even though nobody in the world denies many wonderful accomplishments of Western civilization, nobody likes missionaries with guns.
Trump no longer seems to consider Turkey an ally at all, let alone a “crucial” one. And the feeling seems to be mutual.
A mistake. ..
But Deter, Turkey owes the West a great deal for its existence. Surely, they know who the master is?
We better get the nuclear bombs out of there pronto.
Agreed, but why were they put back in Turkey after being withdrawn as a response to the USSR withdrawing its nuclear missiles from Cuba? Under who’s administration were these nuclear missiles reinstated?
They aren’t missiles. They are gravity bombs.
When are other nations going to get together and put sanctions on the USA? As many as possible must try to counteract the might of the US dollar.
Already many deals are made with other currencies- to allow the bully to blackmail the globe is really dangerous.
I told you, if you push the Turks, you may wind up losing your silos and having access to your base and air privilege taken away.
Russia would impose its will on Turkey.
Yes, it would and has historically tried to.
Just like the US has since the end of World War Two.
The US seems to have overplayed its hand in that regard over the last few years, and relations between Russia and Turkey have been warming recently.
Every state has to decide which side its bread is buttered on all the time, and the US has become over-demanding and over-extended enough over the last couple of decades that reappraisals are going to happen.
With respect to Turkey, that’s been in the works since the US invasion of Iraq, in which the US expected the Turks to sit on their hands while long-nascent Kurdish states began to take concrete form in Iraq and then Syria.
It’s sort of paradoxical. What kept Turkey under the US thumb for more than 50 years was the supposed threat of Soviet domination. Once that was gone and the issues became lesser ones from the US standpoint, but without that Soviet threat the Turks have become less and less willing to ask “what color?” every time the US demands they shit, especially when the US is supporting what the Turks now consider the primary threat to their security.
Yes, it would and has historically tried to.
Just like the US has since the end of World War Two.
The US seems to have overplayed its hand in that regard over the last few years, and relations between Russia and Turkey have been warming recently.
Every state has to decide which side its bread is buttered on all the time, and the US has become over-demanding and over-extended enough over the last couple of decades that reappraisals are going to happen.
With respect to Turkey, that’s been in the works since the US invasion of Iraq, in which the US expected the Turks to sit on their hands while long-nascent Kurdish states began to take concrete form in Iraq and then Syria.
It’s sort of paradoxical. What kept Turkey under the US thumb for more than 50 years was the supposed threat of Soviet domination. Once that was gone and the issues became lesser ones from the US standpoint, but without that Soviet threat the Turks have become less and less willing to ask “what color?” every time the US demands they shit, especially when the US is supporting what the Turks now consider the primary threat to their security.
Turkey be patient this will pass 2 more years and once midterms are in effect believe me,GOOD OLD UNCLE SAM we’ll sell you the F-35’s we’ll defend your freedom guaranteed under NATO CHAPTER ARTICLE 5. We’re committed. 1monkey don’t stop no show …We’ll NEVER forget the Sacrifice of the Korean war,we ALWAYS regard you as a key member,right now we’re misguided and pushing you towards an axis of no resolve,but, be patient everything is calculated and this is a long road game, and America wouldn’t be playing it without you, so thank you. Be Patient .
Uncle Sam, please get off your knees.
Jay Hall please get off my N*#s!!!