Türkiye says Incirlik remains Turkish air base despite US troop presence

The presence of US military personnel at the Incirlik Air Base in Türkiye does not make it an American base, the spokesperson of the Turkish Ministry of National Defence, Zeki Aktürk, told a weekly press conference.

“Incirlik remains a Turkish air base. The 10th Main Jet Base Command, subordinated to the Combat Air Force Command in Eskişehir, is located in Incirlik, Adana. The base hosts our F-16 squadrons, a tanker squadron, and UAV units. All facilities belong to the Republic of Türkiye. The base commander is a Turkish major general. The presence of US military personnel at the base does not make it an American base. Military personnel from Spain, Poland and Qatar are also stationed there,” Aktürk emphasised during the briefing, Caliber.Az reports.

Aktürk also shared key updates on regional security, counterterrorism efforts, border protection, and international exercises

He said the Turkish Armed Forces continue to counter threats to the country’s security. Over the past week, four more PKK militants surrendered to the authorities, while operations to detect and destroy tunnels eliminated 3 km of underground structures in Manbij, bringing the total share of destroyed tunnels in the area to 95% (462 km). The total length of tunnels destroyed in the Syrian operation zones has reached 764 km (Tal Rifaat — 302 km, Manbij — 462 km).

Türk Silahlı Kuvvetlerimiz, beka ve güvenliğimize yönelen risk ve tehdit unsurları ile mücadelesini kararlılıkla sürüyor. Devam eden operasyon ve arama tarama faaliyetleri kapsamında hafta içerisinde 4 PKK’lı terörist daha teslim oldu.#MillîSavunmaBakanlığı pic.twitter.com/MjYgHIMmjx

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) March 12, 2026

At the border, 78 people were detained over the past week, while another 1,733 attempts to cross the border were prevented. Since the beginning of the year, the total number of detainees has reached 1,278, while 13,493 border violation attempts have been thwarted.

Hudutlarımızdan yasa dışı yollarla geçmeye çalışan 7’si terör örgütü mensubu olmak üzere 78 şahıs yakalandı. 1.733 şahıs ise hududu geçemeden engellendi.#MillîSavunmaBakanlığı pic.twitter.com/4Ndtorwru0

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) March 12, 2026

Special attention was also paid to the status of the Eastern Aegean islands, which were transferred to Greece under the condition of demilitarisation under the Lausanne (1923) and Paris (1947) treaties. Türkiye condemned Greece’s attempts to violate these agreements, stressing that unilateral changes to the status of the islands have no legal force and harm relations with neighbours and NATO allies.

The security of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus remains a priority: to protect the region and ensure deterrence, Türkiye has deployed air and air defence forces on the island in response to missile and drone threats arising from the conflict between the US and Israel on one side and Iran on the other.

“Türkiye acts as a force supporting peace and stability in the region. The security of Northern Cyprus is our security. We will not allow hostile actions against the rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots and will exercise all rights granted by our guarantor status,” Aktürk stated.

During the ongoing conflict between the US and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, two ballistic missiles fired towards Türkiye at different times were destroyed by NATO air and missile defence forces.

“To ensure the security of airspace and civilians, in addition to national measures, consultation mechanisms with NATO allies have been effectively activated. Within this framework, the Patriot system dispatched by NATO from the Air Command in Ramstein (Germany) is being deployed in Malatya as an additional element of the air defence system,” the ministry’s spokesperson stressed.

Millî Savunma Bakanlığının faaliyetleri başta olmak üzere gündemdeki konulara ilişkin olarak Haftalık Basın Bilgilendirme Toplantısı gerçekleştirildi.

Basın ve Halkla İlişkiler Müşaviri ve Bakanlık Sözcüsü Tuğamiral Zeki Aktürk tarafından icra edilen toplantıda şu bilgiler… pic.twitter.com/8UkAs5X0CR

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) March 12, 2026

These steps are aimed at strengthening Türkiye’s defence capabilities, enhancing joint protection with NATO allies, and maintaining stability in the region.

By Khagan Isayev