Germany may withdraw aircraft from Turkey's Incirlik base

PanARMENIAN.Net - The German military is preparing for a possible withdrawal of six Tornado reconnaissance jets from Turkey's Incirlik Air Base given Ankara's continued refusal to allow German lawmakers to visit the facility, Der Spiegel magazine reported Thursday, August 25, according to Reuters.

The magazine said the German Bundeswehr was evaluating whether it could move the warplanes and refueling aircraft, which are supporting the U.S.-led coalition's aerial attacks on Islamic State targets, to Jordan or Cyprus. It quoted unnamed military sources as saying such a move would interrupt the reconnaissance flights for at least two months.

The German Defense Ministry gave no details about its plans.

"We would like to continue the mission from Turkey, but there are alternatives to the base in Incirlik," the magazine quoted a ministry spokesman as saying.

The Social Democrats, junior partners in Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government, are now insisting that Germany should withdraw its aircraft and troops from the base given Turkey's refusal to allow German lawmakers to visit the base.

"The German government must immediately find other bases for the German soldiers," the magazine quoted Rainer Arnold, defense spokesman for the Social Democrats in parliament, as saying.

Turkey, angered by a resolution passed by the German parliament in June that branded the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces as genocide, has denied German lawmakers access to the base.

Tensions between the two NATO allies have spiked after the thwarted July 15 coup, with Turkey angry about what it called Germany's sluggish response in condemning the putsch and expressing concern about those killed. Senior German officials have sought to reassure Ankara while continuing to raise concerns about Turkey's crackdown on alleged coup supporters.