Ankara, Apr 24: The United States has pulled out all its military equipment and supplies it had amassed in Turkey in preparation for the war on Iraq, the Anatolia news agency reported today.
The last of the material was shipped out of the southern
port of Iskenderun early today, the agency said.
Military personnel responsible for handling the shipments
have also left the port for the Incirlik airbase, in
southern Turkey, from which they will be flown out.
The base used to house a joint US-British force tasked
with patrolling a no-fly zone over northern Iraq. The mission
ended with the start of the Iraq war.
The United States had sent shiploads of military
equipment and supplies to Iskenderun and had unloaded some
equipment after Ankara gave permission to US forces to upgrade
air bases and ports ahead of the war.
But the Turkish parliament later refused to allow the
deployment of US soldiers in Turkey, and only opened the
country's air space to US warplanes.
Bureau Report
