President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Turkey could shut down its Incirlik airbase in retaliation to recent US shifts in policy towards Turkey. The US has threatened to impose sanctions on Turkey for purchasing the S-400 missile defense system from Russia earlier this year and for the country’s recent military intervention in Northern Syria. In addition, the US Senate’s decision to label Ottoman-era ethnic cleansing of Armenians during WWI as an official genocide has provoked outrage from President Erdogan.
Turkey has threatened to prevent US access to the Incirlik and Kurecik air bases. The Incirlik airbase is a key strategic point for US air operations against ISIS, and the Kurecik base hosts key US army radar used for NATO missile defense system in Europe. These threats from Turkey indicate increasing tensions between Washington and Ankara and could pose strategic military risks.
