Turkey coup attempt caught U.S. officials totally off-guard

The State Department scrambled to alert citizens in Turkey, urging them to shelter in place and check in with family members in the U.S. The White House said President Obama had spoken with Secretary of State John Kerry, and both urged “all parties” in Turkey to support the democratically elected government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and “avoid violence or bloodshed,” but the statement avoided using the word “coup.”
Turkey is a key U.S. ally in the war against ISIS, and also a member of NATO, where it’s considered a critical launching pad for Western operations in the Middle East — and Western officials will be parsing reactions carefully. Turkey is not a major recipient of foreign aid dollars from the U.S. — but it’s a key military ally. It’s one of the top 10 recipients of U.S. military gear, and a critical partner in the fight against ISIS…

If the U.S. did opt to remove military personnel in the event of a successful coup, it would mean an operational reshuffling in the fight against ISIS. Since gaining access to Incirlik air base in spring of 2015, U.S. and coalition partners have been flying out of the southern Turkey base to bomb ISIS strongholds. If it were to opt to withdraw personnel from Turkey, it would have to rely on its Gulf bases to launch attacks against ISIS.

As of Friday night, the attempted coup had “no impact” on the U.S.’s military operations in the country, a U.S. official told BuzzFeed News. “[U.S.] air ops have continued from Incirlik. Literally birds in the sky.”