Dependents ordered to leave Turkey during Erdogan visit

The Stars & Stripes reports that hundreds of military and diplomatic dependents have been ordered out of Turkey because of concerns about deteriorating security in the Middle Eastern country;

The mandatory departure order, announced by the State Department, affects nearly all Defense Department dependents assigned to Incirlik, as well as those at smaller bases in Izmir and Mugla. The families of U.S. diplomats in the same areas also are ordered to depart.

On Monday Israel issued a new travel advisory for Turkey, warning Israeli citizens to leave the country as soon as possible and avoid any traveling there.

About 670 dependents are expected to be evacuated, along with 287 pets.

I guess that the attack in Belgium was the impetus for the decision, according to USAToday;

Michael Desch, co-director of the University of Notre Dame’s International Security Program, said the Pentagon’s decision to evacuate families is unsurprising given the region’s perilous terror climate.

“The decision was obvious given the series of attacks in Turkey, but I think the final straw was Brussels,” Desch said of the terror attacks in Belgium last week that killed more than 30 people. “The risk-management people must have determined that Turkey was low-hanging fruit in terms of vulnerabilities.”

This comes to pass while Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an is visiting Washington;

But analysts detect a snub reflecting U.S. discomfort with Erdogan’s crackdown on free expression in Turkish news media and political opponents.

On security matters, however, Erdogan and Obama are closer. Turkey supports a U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State and backs Obama’s call for new leadership in Syria to end the five-year civil war.

Erdogan arrives Tuesday evening and hopes to meet with Obama at some point during his visit, said Fatih Oke, spokesman for the Turkish Embassy in Washington.

Earnest said Monday Obama and Erdogan met several times in recent months, including at the Paris climate summit in November, and both leaders will attend a nuclear security summit Thursday and Friday.

Category: Terror War