Kerry: Power at Turkish air base to be restored shortly

Power at a Turkish air base used by the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) should be restored in the “next day or so,” Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday.

“Our ambassador has been told that the full power should be restored within a day or so to the base through the normal processes, and we’ve had no requests of any kind of quid pro quo whatsoever from the government of Turkey,” Kerry said during a news conference. “So I am confident that that will take place.”

{mosads}His comments were in response to a question on whether Turkey is using the base as an incentive for the United States to extradite a Muslim cleric it blames for the coup.

Commercial power to Incirlik air base in southern Turkey was cut off during the coup attempt Friday amid accusations that the Turkish commander of the base was involved in the coup.

Thousands of military personnel have been arrested by the Turkish government in the wake of the failed coup, and thousands more public employees and officials have been fired.

In addition to the commander’s arrest, Kerry said there’s evidence that Turkish aircraft from Incirlik supported the coup.

“There is evidence that planes that were flying that attacked the people of Turkey and the parliament were refueled while in the air from planes at Incirlik, not ours but from Turkish planes at Incirlik,” Kerry said.

U.S. operations there have been running on back-up generators, and the Pentagon has said anti-ISIS airstrikes have not been affected.

Still, the Pentagon acknowledged this week that a protracted power outage could have an effect on the campaign.

“The concern would be if it were a protracted period of time, then we would potentially have to make adjustments,” Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said at a Monday press briefing.

The United States has about 2,700 troops, refueling aircraft and attack jets at the base, which has become a key launch site for anti-ISIS missions since a much-touted agreement last year between Turkey and the United States to use it for the campaign.

Experts believe there are also about 50 nuclear warheads at the base, though U.S. officials consistently decline to confirm that.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Wednesday he was told in a conversation Tuesday with the Turkish defense minister that the power should be restored “shortly.”

“With respect to bases like Incirlik, because it was a coup that involves some elements of the military, they’ve been very careful for a while about operations in a number of their bases, that includes Incirlik,” Carter said. “He assured me that they’ll be returning to normal there at Incirlik shortly.”