Posted on 09/03/2015 7:43:18 PM PDT by kristinn
The U.S. government is offering families of American service members and diplomatic employees voluntary evacuation from Turkey in a sign of the increased threat caused by the start of U.S. airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria from a key Turkish air base.
The Defense Department said about 900 dependents of American troops based at the Incirlik Air Base in southeastern Turkey will be able to fly home on commercial airliners at government expense. The State Department said roughly 100 families members of people stationed at the U.S. Consulate in nearby Adana, Turkey, are eligible to leave.
“This decision was made out of an abundance of caution following the commencement of military operations out of Incirlik Air base,” Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told reporters at a briefing.
Cook denied that the voluntary evacuation was being offered in response to any concrete danger from Islamic State militants or other anti-American groups.
“This is not being done because of any specific new threat,” Cook said. “We’ve been at an elevated force protection level in Turkey, at Incirlik, for some time now. This is just an extra step being taken out of an abundance of caution.”
About 1,700 American service members, most of them in the Air Force, were at Incirlik before the U.S.-Turkish agreement in July to allow F-16s flown by American pilots to bomb Islamic State fighters across the Syrian border about 75 miles southeast of the air base.
Hundreds more U.S. airmen are arriving at Incirlik to support the direct air campaign, which began Aug. 12 when the first American bombers took off from the air base.
(Excerpt) Read more at mcclatchydc.com ...
anyone else think it odd that US dependents are being told to leave a NATO ally? I understand Turkey has changed for the worse, but it still is disturbing.
Seems to me that the danger is in not watching the Turks.
I think Erdogan is looking for some trouble.
Why can’t Turkey welcome all the Muslim refugees from the Middle East and North Africa?
They would be more at home in Turkey than Europe, would they not?
Turkey is very worrisome.
Turkey Arrests Journalists, Sets Up Terrorist "Tip Line" As Currency Plunges, Violence Escalates
I may be wrong, but I think Turkey thinks they are superior to other Muslims. Turks don’t want them coming to their country.
In other words
They are just as hypocritical and devious as all the rest, but they think they are better.
Active Duty ping.
It really is tragic how messed up the world is, much of the problems due to Islam.
I think we should review/adjust the outdated NATO agreements, in the next administration.
Preferably with Trump leading the new deal.
Or have you not been watching what the EU has been doing?
If the UK does not exit the EU, I see zero point in the alliance, and either way, I see no logic in the USA paying vast sums to be the military arm for the anti-USA EU.
Not a good sign
Things seem to be escalating over there
Russia’s involvement in Syria might be ramping up
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3332875/posts
Not good news as my son and his wife return to Istanbul next week for new jobs.
Maybe this indicates that they plan to start a bombing campaign that would really hurt ISIS, because ISIS has pretty much free rein within Turkey.
The Turks allow about 100 ISIS offices to operate in Turkey.
The always popular Debka is reporting that Tomahawk (Sea Launched Cruise Missiles) were recently fired at ISIS HQ - the first use of these weapons against ISIS.
If the air campaign is not just for show any more, it is a good call to evacuate dependents.
But maybe they just got wind of terrorist threats to dependents, and they plan to continue with pinpricks.
Patriot missile batteries were also recently withdrawn from Turkey. Relations may be changing with the Turkish Government, or the War in Syria may be entering a new phase. Russia is now also deploying Aircraft into that conflict.
“Elect me and the world will love US again.”. Mmmmm, not so much, Barry. You turned it all to chit.
Erdogan has been doing away with “Kemalism” which seperated church and state. For almost 100 years Turkey prospered but is now is facing serious social disruption
I work with Syrian refugees here in Bulgaria. The reason that they don’t stay in Turkey is money. Germany gives refugees TONS of euros! Turkey’s refugee camps are model camps, but they don’t get much money. So far this year I have not met 1 refugee in the refugee camp in Harmanli that does NOT want to go to Germany. Money is the big draw...
(They) follow the money...
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