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Turkey reopens air base used by US apparently to target Daesh

People reflect on a floor with an airplane symbol at the air base in Incirlik, Turkey, on January 21, 2016. (AFP)

The Turkish government has reopened an air base in the south of the country used by American forces to allegedly target Daesh terrorists, the Pentagons says.

"After close coordination with our Turkish allies, they have reopened their airspace to military aircraft. As a result, counter-ISIL coalition air operations at all air bases in Turkey have resumed," a Pentagon statement read on Sunday.

Access to the Incirlik air base was denied by Turkish authorities and power was cut after an overnight coup again the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday.

US Secretary of State John Kerry told CNN that he had spoken with his Turkish counterpart three times on Saturday.

"They assure me that there will be no interruption of our counter-ISIL efforts," Kerry said, referring to the Daesh Takfiri terrorists, whom the US alleges is fighting.

He further suggested that the coup supporters may have used the base, located in the southern city of Adana, to refuel. 

The secretary of state has also asserted that Ankara should respect what he call the democratic process in the country.

"We have urged them not to reach out so far that they are creating doubts about their commitment to the democratic process," he told NBC.

Following the overnight coup that left nearly 300 people dead, the Turkish president pointed the finger at Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is based in the US state of Pennsylvania.

Gulen, however, has categorically denied the accusations, saying he is totally against a coup.

The US, along with its regional allies such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia, have been known to openly support the Daesh terror group operating in Syria and Iraq.


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