Commercial power back at Turkish air base used in ISIL fight

WASHINGTON - Reuters

Commercial electric power was restored on July 22 to a Turkish air base used by U.S. forces in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a week after it was interrupted during a failed coup attempt. 

U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, said in a statement that commercial electric power was restored to İncirlik Air Base, and "there is a steady flow of hot food, water and fuel to support our service members and civilians in Turkey." 

The Turkish base, which is also used by several thousand U.S. personnel, had been operating on generator backup power since July 16. Backup generators remain an option if the base loses commercial power again, the European Command statement said. 

European Command said the U.S. and Turkish militaries were working to ensure the base remained "fully prepared to take on a myriad of missions as we work together to defeat terrorism." 

The air space around İncirlik was closed during the July 15 failed coup attempt amid concerns a tanker aircraft commandeered from the base was used to refuel aircraft involved in the attempted overthrow. 

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said some troops at the base were involved in the attempted coup. 

The air space around the base quickly reopened in the days after the attempted coup so that U.S. warplanes involved in the fight against ISIL militants in Iraq and Syria could continue their operations.