Protesters attack US air base in Türkiye

According to RT , Turkish security forces had to use tear gas and water cannons to disperse a pro-Palestinian protest at the US Incirlik air base in Turkey on November 5. Before that, the protesters had almost entered the Incirlik base.

RT added that the protest was called by a Turkish non-governmental humanitarian organization and they set out to surround Incirlik base to increase pressure on the US over the conflict in the Gaza Strip. The convoy carrying Palestinian and Turkish flags left Istanbul for the city of Adana on November 3.

Protesters clash with riot police during a demonstration outside the US Incirlik air base in Adana, Türkiye on November 5. (Photo: AP)

Security around Incirlik was increased before the protest, but that did not stop the crowd from approaching the US base.

According to Turkish media, some protesters chanted pro-Hamas slogans. Police were forced to use tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse the crowd from the US base.

Also according to RT , protests broke out across Turkey after Israel began an air campaign against Hamas last month.

While the Israeli government claims it is targeting a Gaza-based militant group, 67 percent of those killed in the bombing campaign are women and children, according to the United Nations. More than 9,700 Palestinians have been killed since Tel Aviv began its military campaign, according to the latest figures from the Gaza Health Ministry. More than 1,400 people were also killed in Israel during the October 7 attack.

Following the Hamas offensive, the US provided Israel with weapons, ammunition and financial support, as well as by deploying two aircraft carrier groups to the region. Although Türkiye is a NATO ally of the US, Ankara recalled its ambassador to Israel while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the Israeli military of war crimes and cut off contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I believe that we should stop Israel. They seem to have completely lost their minds and their temper,” Erdogan said on November 2, adding that Ankara would “ensure that those responsible for war crimes in Gaza will face judgment.”

The United States has used Incirlik Air Base since the mid-1950s. Over the decades, the base has hosted reconnaissance flights over the Soviet Union, combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and close air support missions in the US campaign against the self-proclaimed Islamic State. The US also stores about 50 B61 nuclear bombs at Incirlik.

The base has occasionally been the focus of anti-US and anti-NATO protests, with thousands of protesters surrounding the facility and burning the US flag in 2016 during a coup attempt against Erdogan.

Tra Khanh (Source: russian.rt.com)

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