U.S. military planners quietly have stepped up a review of alternatives in case the Turkish government restricts U.S. access to Turkish airspace or cuts off access to the air base at Incirlik, Turkey, CNN has learned. U.S. Air Force planes prepare to take off in November 2001 from the air base at Incirlik, Turkey. Turkey has threatened such action after congressional moves to declare that the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in World War I was "genocide." Turkey -- now a NATO member and a key U.S. ally in the war on terror -- accepts Armenians were killed but calls it a massacre during a chaotic time, not an organized campaign of genocide.
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Turkey has threatened restricting U.S. access to Turkish airspace
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Tensions come after vote calling the killing of Armenians genocide
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Key issue is to find ways to ship supplies and other critical equipment into Iraq
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Any cutoff would force the U.S. military into longer cargo flights
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The recent rise in tensions between @placeholder and the United States has led the military to increase its planning for alternatives, two military officials with direct knowledge of the ongoing assessment said.
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U.S. officials say Turkey's options range from a complete cutoff, including ending overland access routes from southern @placeholder into Iraq, to less drastic options that simply restrict U.S. access.
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Seventy percent of the fuel that goes in for our forces goes in ... through @placeholder ...
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"For those who are concerned that we get as many of these mine-resistant ambush-protected heavy vehicles into Iraq as possible, 95 percent of those vehicles today are being flown into Iraq through @placeholder."
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@placeholder on Thursday recalled its ambassador to the United States and warned of repercussions in the growing dispute.
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A top @placeholder official warned Thursday that consequences "won't be pleasant" if it approves the measure.