Anti-US protesters march towards Incirlik base in Turkey
A large crowd of people have launched a rally at Incirlik Air Base in the Turkish city of Adana, chanting anti-American and anti-Israel slogans.
Nearly 1,000 demonstrators gathered outside the base that houses American and NATO forces, calling for its closure, Russia’s RT reported on Thursday.
The rally was being broadcast by some regional television networks.
Police and other security forces blocked the entrance the military base to prevent possible intrusions, reports suggest.
The US State Department had already informed American nationals in the country that its Adana consulate will close sooner than usual.
“US citizens in Turkey: Demonstration expected from Merkez Park to Incirlik Air Force Base 6PM July 28. Consulate in Adana will close at 4PM,” the department said in a tweet.
The US military increased the security level at the base to the highest level during the recent coup attempt against the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
On July 15, a faction of the armed forces used tanks and attack helicopters in an ill-fated attempt to seize power from Erdogan.
During the coup attempt, Turkish officials cut the base’s electricity and blocked movement in and out of the base, asking citizens to steer clear of the area.
Turkish authorities detained the air base commander General Bekir Ercan Van and over a dozen lower ranking officers in charges of complicity in the attempted coup.
Reports say more than 60,000 people have been sacked, suspended or detained as part of the government’s massive clampdown on those branded as coup plotters or sympathizers.
Incirlik houses NATO’s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons, which are owned and controlled by the US.
Washington has also been using the base as a platform to conduct airstrikes on purported Daesh positions inside neighboring Syria and Iraq.
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