I do not think that Trump is impressed with bullies. Erdogan is totally off the rails with his actions since the "coup" (real or fau).
Any opinions on where this goes?
Note: I do not believe this statement is true.
"The US has denied supporting Kurdish forces in Syria saying it is only supporting the Arab coalition within the SDF."
I think you would be shocked at the number of idiots in DC and the Pentagon who are hyped to keep Incirlik at all cost. Having seen all of the games played on base...it’s absolutely worthless in retaining it. It’s imaginary value in keeping the installation open...it won’t be used when you need it the most.
Go ask them about the Incirlik barracks that was newly constructed and sat there for at least six years before it could be fixed enough to utilize. I doubt if they got more than decade of use out of it before it had to be torn down.
Whoever made that statement lied
The “SDF” is largely a Kurdish army with some Arab militia thrown in to give it a more Syrian flavor
Dealing with Turkey will be one of Trump’s more delicate messes to clean up but with the team of people he has working for him, it will get done. They are part of the entire strategy to defeating ISIS, whether they work with us or against us
PS: I don’t see Erdogan playing the “US vs the Russians” card like he did in the past, with the new 4-D chess playing sheriff in the WH. I think the Saudis appreciate that the game has changed, soon Erdogan must do the same
Nuke Turkey. Should have been done long ago.
No problem... we can build a base in the YPG region.
OK, lets piss Erdogan off, build a base or bases in Arbil or Kirkuk. We could have a couple of bases in operation within weeks. I don’t think the Kurds would mind having us as guests.
I suppose there is an air base in Israel the U.S. could use.
Since 1962 Turkey has threatened to kick us out of Incirlik AB over 4000 times. lol ! I was stationed there as a member of the Tactical Air Command (TAC) and can assure you that this piss-ant base could be replaced by increasing some Navy assets in the Med. Sea and building a strip or two in Kurdish territory. Frankly, Turkey has been given billions in aid over the years and is now a complete mess given the rise of Islamic terrorism.
Incirlik Airbase, Turkey has the history of being an American base established at a time of ‘fencing in’ the Soviet threat.
It was also a base where American forces assigned units of first-generation cruise missiles (the size of small jets) which came to be known, during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Today, there is no threat of Soviet expansion.
Therefore, it would be a cost-saving measure to remove all American military personnel from Incirlik, and allow the Turks the entire base, with one caveat.
Leave it in the same condition we left airbases in France, when DeGaulle demanded we leave his country, i.e., cratered the runways, and demolished the buildings.
Turkey, and Erdogan, have hookah-related dreams of revitalizing the old pre-Attaturk Ottoman Empire.
Go build an airstrip in the free part of northern Iraq. Let the Turks be Turks. Dissolve NATO; it’s become as useful as the UN Peacekeepers.
I bet that Trump could convince Assad to give US access to an air base in Syria.
That would certainly miff tErdogan. :-)
Just a quick comment from Trump to their guy: Close Incirlik and we will support a homeland for our friends the Kurds. Now, next idea please.
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Tuck Furkey.
I would have B-52s bomb the runways and kick them out of NATO once and for all if they want to screw around woth us.
We should destroy the bunkers with the nuclear bomb components we have there as well.
They are outdated now as delivery systems.
After all Turkey has done starting with not allowing us to transit during Operation Iraqi Freedom, why are we still at Incirlik? Inertia?
That is incorrect. They did not admit to allowing us to use the base, but I was there during Desert Storm and it was a happening place.
I hope we moved those strategic nukes out of there.