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| Turkish commander of air base housing US nukes detained for complicity in coup attempt – official | Turkish commander of air base housing US nukes detained for complicity in coup attempt – official |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| General Bekir Ercan Van, the commander of Turkey’s Incirlik airbase, which is used both by the Turkish Air Force and NATO forces, has been detained by Turkish authorities accused of complicity in the attempted coup. | General Bekir Ercan Van, the commander of Turkey’s Incirlik airbase, which is used both by the Turkish Air Force and NATO forces, has been detained by Turkish authorities accused of complicity in the attempted coup. |
| The senior Turkish military commander was arrested along with over a dozen lower ranking officers at the base, AFP reported. A government official has confirmed with Reuters that the general has been detained. | |
| Earlier on Saturday, movement in and out of the base in southern Turkey was blocked by local military authorities. | Earlier on Saturday, movement in and out of the base in southern Turkey was blocked by local military authorities. |
| According to an agreement between Ankara and Washington, Incirlik is used by NATO and stores US tactical nuclear weapons. The airbase is also being used by the US to launch airstrikes on Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in neighboring Syria, which reportedly ceased following Friday’s military coup attempt. | According to an agreement between Ankara and Washington, Incirlik is used by NATO and stores US tactical nuclear weapons. The airbase is also being used by the US to launch airstrikes on Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in neighboring Syria, which reportedly ceased following Friday’s military coup attempt. |
| In the wake of the failed military uprising, the Turkish authorities have been conducting “anti-coup” operations at the base. Some members of the Turkish Air Force have been arrested on suspicion of having supported the coup. Authorities have also claimed that at least one of the planes “hijacked” by the coup plotters was refueled at Incirlik, according to AFP. | |
| Ankara has arrested nearly 3,000 Turkish soldiers and officers believed to have been involved in the attempted coup. |