Seemorerocks: Turkey coup developments

Sunday, 17 July 2016

Turkey coup developments - 07/16/2016

\US: Turkey's Incirlik air base used to fight 'IS' is sealed off, power cut

DW,

16July, 2016

The US consulate in the southern Turkish city of Adana says the facility has been placed in lockdown. The base is used by the US-led coalition to launch airstrikes against "Islamic State."

A message on the website of the US consulate in Adana Saturday said "local authorities were denying movements on to and off of Incirlik Air Base." It advised US citizens to avoid the air base until normal operations had been restored.

The sealing-off of the facility, which houses as many as 80 nuclear bombs, follows a coup attempt by a faction within Turkey's military a day earlier.

It is unclear whether aircraft from the base were hijacked by coup plotters during the overnight events. According to Turkish government officials, the jets were used to attack key buildings, including the parliament building in Ankara.

The base is used mostly by the US, Turkish, UK and Saudi air forces. Germany has also deployed some 400 soldiers to the facility as part of NATO operations against IS.

Earlier this month, German MPs were prevented from visiting the base in an ongoing spat between the Berlin and Ankara governments.

Also on Saturday, the US State Department warned American citizens against taking part in a pro-Erdogan demonstration in the city of Adana later in the day, amid fears of violence. Adana is just 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Incirlik Air Base.