Turkey authorities impose lockdown at İncirlik air base: U.S. consulate

Those air operations were blocked, at least temporarily, by the Turkish government following the coup.

“The power cut to Incirlik is a temporary thing”, said Marc Pierini, a former European Union ambassador in Turkey until 2011. Flights out of Incirlik are responsible for an estimated one-third of all air refueling operations.

Tensions between the USA and Turkey are still high after at least one government official insinuated the U.S. “The President instructed his team to continue to work with their Turkish counterparts to maintain the safety and well-being of diplomatic missions and personnel, US servicemembers, and their dependents”, the statement said. EasyJet said its advice from British authorities was to continue flying, although it was monitoring developments.The attempted coup follows a series of bombings that hit Turkey this year, including a suicide attack in June that killed 45 people at Istanbul’s main airport. Turkey is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation alliance.

American and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation officials have been pressing to insulate the mission against the Islamic State at Incirlik and other Turkish bases from the internal upheaval.

On Sunday, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook announced that the United States coalition had resumed its anti-IS air operations in Turkey.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the events of the past two days had raised questions about Turkey’s “reliability” in the fight against IS.

The suspects are being charged with “membership in an armed terrorist organization” and “attempting to overthrow the government of the Turkish Republic using force and violence or attempting to completely or partially hinder its function”. Those arrested include several high ranking military officers and some 2,700 judges. Critics have accused the Erdogan government of turning a blind eye to such militants, who have fought against Turkey’s nemesis Bashar Assad in Syria.

Turkey has always been a complicated, sometimes unreliable partner in the fight against the Islamic State.

United States forces “were adjusting flight operations in the counter-ISIL campaign to minimize any effects on the campaign”, he said, apparently suggesting missions against IS – also known as ISIL – could launch from other locations.

The F-16s were a crucial part of the coup attempt, used to intimidate government supporters in the streets.