Turkey, US Sign Deal on Use of Incirlik Base in Anti-ISIL Airstrikes
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman said Ankara and Washington have signed an agreement for the use of the Incirlik air base for aerial campaigns against ISIL.
Turkey and the US have officially signed an agreement for the use of the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey for aerial campaigns against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group in Syria, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said Wednesday.
"The Incirlik base agreement has been signed on our part. The base can be opened at any time. First and foremost it will be used to target ISIL targets in Syria," Bilgic told journalists, according to Sputnik News.
On Friday, Turkey launched a military campaign against ISIL in Syria, after the militants claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in the border town of Suruc that killed 32 people. The campaign involves airstrikes by F-16 fighter jets and shelling from within Turkish territory.
The Incirlik base is already being used by the US Air Force for logistical and humanitarian purposes.
A US-led international coalition has been launching almost ineffective airstrikes against ISIL positions in Iraq and Syria since September 2014.
Previously, Turkey was unwilling to actively participate in anti-ISIL coalition operations.
