Turkey might deny the United States access to its Incirlik airbase, which is vital for the United States in its fight against the militant group ISIS in Syria. The relations between the United States and Turkey worsened after the military coup in last July after the US refused to extradite Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish preacher, a former Imam and key political figure, who founded the Gulen movement and accused by Turkey as the man behind the coup. The relations strained further as the US criticized Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s move to crack down on the coup by arresting thousands of public workers, military personnel, and academics as an attempt by the President to consolidate power.

According to unnamed Turkish officials, the country is reconsidering United States’ access to the base. According to U.S. Air Force Col. John Dorrian, any actions by the Turkish authority to shut down or limit United States’ air operation from the Incirlik base would be disastrous for the US operation against ISIS as it would deprive the United States of one of its most critical military outpost in the region. From the Incirlik base, the United States have access to the Middle East as well as parts of Russia.