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Wednesday, March 30, 2016

IS Threat Forces US Families To Leave Turkey

The US State Department and the Pentagon have ordered the families of US diplomats and military personnel to leave posts in southern Turkey over "increased threats from terrorist groups".

The two agencies said on Tuesday that dependants of US staffers at the consulate in Adana, the Incirlik airbase and two other locations must leave.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said no specific threat had triggered the order, but said it was done "out of an abundance of caution".

No deadline has been set for families to leave, but he said "this will move very quickly".

In a statement, the military's European Command said the step "allows for the deliberate, safe return of family members from these areas due to continued security concerns in the region".

The so-called "ordered departure" covers the Adana consulate, US military dependants in Incirlik, Ismir and Mugla, as well as the family of US government civilians at Ismir and Mugla.

The State Department has also restricted official travel in the area to only that which is "mission critical".

Mr Cook said the order does not affect around 100 family members based in Istanbul and Ankara.

The move comes amid heightened security concerns in Turkey brought about by the conflict against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

Last week, the US State Department issued a travel alert for US citizens in Europe following the terrorist attacks in Brussels, which IS claimed responsibility for.


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