U.S. sends six F-16s to Turkey

Jets to join fight against Islamic State

ANKARA, Turkey — Six U.S. F-16 fighter jets arrived at Turkey’s southern air base on Sunday to join the U.S.-led coalition fight against Islamic State militants, the U.S. military said.

The U.S. European Command said that the U.S. Air Force deployed a “small detachment” of six F-16 jets, support equipment and about 300 personnel at Incirlik Air Base. The detachment is part of the 31st Fighter Wing based at Aviano Air Base in Italy.

Turkey carried out airstrikes against IS targets in Syria last month after a suicide bombing killed 32 people and the killing of a soldier by IS militants, and agreed to allow the U.S. to use the strategically located base. The moves ended months of reluctance by Turkey, giving it a more active role in the U.S.led coalition against IS.

Last week, U.S. armed drones taking off from Incirlik struck IS positions, and a Turkish official said an “extensive” fight against the extremists would soon begin.

Turkish media reports say the U.S. is expected to deploy around 30 fighter jets at Incirlik for strikes against IS.

Incirlik is close to IS strongholds across the border in Syria, allowing the U.S. to move more swiftly. Its use would enable the U.S.-led coalition to conduct better surveillance over Syria and act quicker on intelligence than when it was limited to launching flights from places such as Iraq, Jordan and the Gulf states.