Some 7,000 police officers in heavy vehicles overnight Saturday surrounded the Incirlik air base in Turkey, which is used by NATO forces in Adana, in what a Turkish minister called a “security check”, Russia Today reports.
While there was no official explanation for the move, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reported earlier that Adana police had been tipped off about a new coup attempt, and forces were immediately alerted.
The entrance to the base was closed off, noted Russia Today.
Security forces armed with rifles and armored TOMA vehicles used by Turkish riot police could be seen at the site in photos taken by witnesses.
Turkey’s minister for EU affairs downplayed the situation , saying a “security inspection” was carried out.
“We did the general security check. There is nothing wrong,” he said, according to Russia Today.
The United States had in the past used the Incirlik air base as a place from which to launch manned airstrikes against the Islamic State (ISIS) group, as part of the international coalition fighting the group in Iraq and Syria.
Saturday night's move by Turkey comes two weeks after a failed coup in Turkey, following which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency.
As he announced the state of emergency, Erdogan warned there "may be more plans" from dissidents to try and overthrow the government again.
周六夜，7000名警察乘重裝車輛包圍了土耳其北約空軍基地。土耳其歐洲事務部長低調回應，稱執行安全檢查。
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/215743
