Incirlik Air Base in Turkey has been placed on lockdown. The base is used by US, UK, Saudi and Turkish forces to run airstrikes against ISIS.
The power at the base was reportedly cut off after the coup attempt Saturday morning in Ankara and Istanbul.
And flights are grounded.
Pentagon Says Flights From Incirlik Air Base Still Grounded @nytimesworld https://t.co/7Qn31vp5tY
— Christian Thiels (@ThielsChristian) July 16, 2016
The Erdogan government believes the air base was used to launch attacks during the coup attempt last night.
UPDATE: Turkish official: Gov't has suspicions Incirlik Air Base used to refuel aircraft used in coup attempt. – @DionNissenbaum
— Conflict News (@Conflicts) July 16, 2016
Deutsche Welle reported, via American Survival Guide:
The US consulate in Turkey says the Incirlik air base has been placed in lockdown.
The base is used by the US-led coalition, including Germany, to launch airstrikes against “Islamic State.”
A message on the website of the US consulate in Adana said Saturday that “local authorities were denying movements [onto] and off of Incirlik air base.” It advised US citizens to avoid the facility 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.
A US defense official later told Agence France-Presse that military operations against IS had been suspended due to the lockdown and a closure of the airspace.
The base is used mostly by the US, Turkish, UK and Saudi air forces. Germany has also deployed some 400 soldiers to the facility.
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