The power was restored Friday at a key Turkish base used by U.S. strike aircraft, defense officials said, nearly a week after an attempted overthrow of the Turkish government by a faction of its military spun the country into chaos.
U.S. European Command announced in a statement that commercial power returned at the base, in the southern portion of the country near the Syrian border. The United States has based A-10 attack planes, F-15 fighters, tankers, unmanned aircraft and other equipment there and regularly launches sorties from there into Iraq and Syria.
“The base was without power since July 16 and was operating on backup generator power,” European Command said. “We will retain this capability should the power be interrupted again. Meanwhile, there is a steady flow of hot food, water, and fuel to support our service members and civilians in Turkey.”
The U.S. will continue to work with Turkey to make sure that U.S. troops and the operations carried out there “remain fully prepared to take on a myriad of missions as we work together to defeat terrorism,” European Command added.
The coup attempt against the regime of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was launched late July 15, prompting the United States to elevate security at the bases it uses in Turkey to its Delta level. That is typically designated for when a terrorist attack has occurred nearby, or is considered imminent.
The Incirlik base is home to a few thousand deployed U.S. troops, and also is used to store about 50 s B61 nuclear gravity bombs as part of a sharing agreement with NATO nations.
