Germany started withdrawing troops from Turkey’s Incirlik air base


nsnbc : Germany, on Sunday, started pulling out all of its troops from Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base from where they supported operations against the self-proclaimed Islamic State with reconnaissance flights. The withdrawal comes as bilateral relations deteriorate. However, redeployment to Jordan suggests that the German jets will play a role in the “coalition’s” attempt to limit the influence of Iranian-backed militants in the Iraq – Syria – Jordan – Lenanon four-border-region.

German Tonado_Luftwaffe_German Air Force_(Archives)The German parliament (Bundestag) approved the withdrawal of German troops from the Incirlik Air Base last month, after Turkey denied German lawmakers access to the base to visit German troops there. Turkey had refused to allow German lawmakers to make what they saw as a routine visit to the base, saying that Berlin needed to improve its attitude towards Turkey first.

Germany had banned some Turkish politicians from campaigning on its soil for a referendum on giving Erdogan sweeping new powers. Ankara responded by accusing Berlin of “Nazi-like” tactics and reigniting the dispute over Incirlik.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday that a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had revealed “deep differences” between the two NATO allies.

The withdrawal of the German troops marks a further step in the downward-spiraling bilateral relations between Ankara and Berlin.

Incirlik Airbase_Turkey_US F-16 at Incirlik_(archives)German Tornado jets were due to keep operating out of Incirlik at least until the end of July as part of a mission providing reconnaissance aircraft to support U.S.-led coalition operations against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, last months, stated  that German troops might as well be stationed in Jordan. In the meantime the necessary material was to be moved to a new air base in Jordan, where the planes were scheduled to be deployed by October.

A German air tanker refueller left Incirlik for the Jordan base on Sunday, stated the German Defense Ministry. A Turkish official confirmed that the withdrawal had started, saying Germany’s defense minister had informed her Turkish counterpart of the withdrawal date when they met during the NATO summit in Brussels.

Behind the apparent row between NATO allies, there is, however, an unmistakable convergence of strategies. The redeployment of the German Tornado jets plus troops to Jordan comes as the United States, Norway, and other “coalition” members are attempting to oppose the presence of Iranian-backed militants including Hezbollah, in the Iraq – Jordan – Syria – Lebanon four-border-region.

CH/L – nsnbc 10.07.2017



Source Article from https://nsnbc.me/2017/07/10/germany-started-withdrawing-troops-from-turkeys-incirlik-air-base/

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