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Turkey opens airbases to coalition in fight against IS, PKK

Xinhua, July 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

Turkish airbases, including the key southern Incirlik airbase, can be used by coalition forces against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgic said Wednesday.

The United States and Turkey did not sign any "written agreement" concerning the recent deal to open up Turkish bases for U.S. manned and unmanned platforms to hit the IS targets in Syria and in Iraq, but the agreement is in effect as Ankara adopted a cabinet motion last week, the spokesperson told reporters.

The consensus with the United States only concerns the fight against the IS and does not include air support to Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, the spokesman also said.

The Turkish government has given permission for the coalition forces, including those of the United States and other regional countries which Ankara will give consent, to deploy manned and unmanned aircrafts on military airbases in Turkey, a written foreign ministry statement said on Friday.

Turkey and the United States also agreed to clear northern Syria of the IS militants to create "safe regions" there, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday.

The Turkish air forces will also participate in those military operations.

Earlier on Tuesday, two F-16 fighter jets bombed at least three targets of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in southeastern Sirnak province, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Turkish gendarmerie and police have been carrying out operations in 39 provinces to detain PKK members, along with the IS and the leftist DHKP-C, the prime ministry said.

Also on Tuesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that the peace talks cannot continue amid attacks by the PKK.

The PKK linked People's Defense Force (HPG) has claimed the responsibility of killings of two police officers last week, which led to military operations of the Turkish army both within the country and in northern Iraq, along with hundreds of detentions.

The peace process, which aims to end the 30-year conflict between Turkey and the PKK insurgents, was initiated in 2013, but was soon stalled with no real progress.

However, the government suspended the settlement process to preserve nationalist votes during the June 7 parliamentary election campaign.

The PKK, which claimed the lives of over 40,000 people, is still listed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. Endit