Turkish officials have questioned the presence of the coalition forces led by the United States in one of the air bases in southern Turkey, on the grounds that being offered insufficient support for Turkish military operations against the Islamic State in Syria.
Spokesman of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ibrahim Kalin, however, said on Thursday that there is no need to "rush assessment" to Incirlik, an airbase used by allies of NATO to launch air strikes against the jihadist group in neighboring Syria .
However, he raised the question of why the United States, which support some Kurdish groups in the fight against the Islamic State in northern Syria, did not provide support to the operation of a country an ally of NATO, Turkey, to take control Syrian town of al-Dad by jihadists.
"During the period of a month and a half we have seen and we understand that this support is not provided in the level and effectiveness of enough", said Kalin television network "Channel 24", calling for more complete support and saying that " excuses are not acceptable ".
Turkey is frustrated by the politics of the United States in Syria, not least by Washington's support for Kurdish militants Ankara sees as an extension of the militants of the PKK fighting against the Turkish authorities, a group that both Turkey and the United States It classifies as a terrorist organization.
Kalin said the administration still hopes President-elect Donald Trump, who will be sworn in on January 20 as the new head of the White House, will adapt more to the sensitivities of Turkey.
Even Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak said the coalition led by the United States has rarely used the Incirlik base to join military operations of the Turkish and Syrian rebels backed by the Americans, raising doubts among the Turkish population.
"Their presence at Incirlik is being questioned by our people and our nation. This issue is already on the agenda of our government, "he told the television network" A Haber ".
The reaction of the United States has not delayed, however, the Pentagon has estimated the access provided by Turkey at the base of Incirlik and looks forward to this cooperation will continue, despite the question marks raised by Turkish officials.
"We are operating out of Incirlik base and we expect this to continue," said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook. While a few days ago, a US military spokesman said Washington was in discussions with Ankara on future support for the issue of al-Dad, who remains in the very heart of the Turkish operations.
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