WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has stressed its dependency on Turkey
for transportation and logistics missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Officials said the U.S. military regarded Turkey as a hub for non-combat
operations in the Middle East and South Asia. They said Turkey's air force
base at Incirlik was a major facility.
"Incirlik is a really pivotal base for us, both for the re-supply of
Iraq and for the re-supply of Afghanistan," Gen. Duncan McNabb, commander of
the U.S. Air Force's Transportation Command, said.
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In testimony to the House Armed Services Committee on March 17, McNabb
said he was pleased with Turkey's cooperation with the U.S. military, Middle East Newsline reported. He did
not elaborate.
At the hearing, Central Command chief Gen. David Petraeus said Turkey
has been effective in its role in Afghanistan. Petraeus, however, did not
respond to a question by Rep. Vic Snyder whether Ankara would reduce
cooperation if the House approves a resolution that blames Turkey for the
killing of 1.5 million Armenians in World War I.
"[Turkey has] forces deployed in Afghanistan. In fact, they're operating
with considerable skill — [and] very impressively in the Kabul district,
which is their area of responsibility there," Petraeus said. "And then, of
course, there is Turkish involvement in a relationship with Iraq which,
again, all of us sought to work together, as we did to promote the
relationship of Iraq with its other neighbors as well."