Thursday, July 28, 2016

Thousands Yell 'Death to US' Near Turkey's Incirlik Base, Home to US Nukes

Supporters of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan shout slogans on the back of a truck during a pro-government demonstration on Taksim square in Istanbul, Turkey, July 16, 2016.

© REUTERS/ Alkis Konstantinidis
News

Over five thousand joined anti-American demonstrations yelling "death to US" and demanding an immediate closure of the Incirlik Air Base for over five hours on Thursday before Turkish police came in and broke up the protesters before they could arrive at major NATO military facility, home to nearly 90 US tactical nuclear weapons.

On Thursday, a group of protesters swelled into several thousand ardent anti-American demonstrators heading towards the NATO Air Base at Incirlik, where they look to demand US forces immediately leave the country. Nationalists in Turkey have been emboldened since the failed coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with the country's Labor Minister telling HaberTurk news that Washington was behind the coup attempt and with Prime Minister Binali Yildirim threatening all-out war against the United States.
​A critical turning point may have been the massive fire that broke out near the Izmir Air Base this weekend, with T24 news reporting that officials suspected that the cause was anti-American sabotage. The blaze came hours after President Erdogan's leading Islamist newspaper, Yeni Safak, printed the image of the NATO International Security Assistance Force Commander, US Army General John Campbell, as a leading force behind the coup along with Fethullah Gulen.
The situation at Incirlik Air Base threatens to be even more perilous, with thousands of protesters chanting "death to the US" as they head towards one of NATO's most important strategic military bases. The facility, only 60 miles (96km) from the Turkish-Syrian border, is home to as many as 90 tactical nuclear weapons, creating the danger that these weapons could fall into the hands of international terrorists.
A recent poll conducted just before the failed coup attempt found that only 17% of Turks welcomed the United States in the country and anti-American sentiment in Turkey has only grown as the US refuses to extradite the alleged coup mastermind, Fethullah Gulen, with US officials citing US law that requires a certain evidentiary standard be met before conducting such proceedings — evidence that they say Ankara has failed to provide.

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