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US-led Airstrikes From Turkey Resume Against IS


FILE - A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter jet lands at Incirlik airbase in the southern city of Adana, Turkey.
FILE - A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter jet lands at Incirlik airbase in the southern city of Adana, Turkey.

United States-led coalition airstrikes from Turkey are again being carried out against Islamic State after airspace in the country had been closed following Friday's coup attempt.

Air operations against IS were blocked temporarily by the Turkish government following the coup attempt.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook, using an acronym to describe IS, issued a statement saying Turkish authorities reopened their airspace to military aircraft on Sunday. "As a result, counter-ISIL coalition air operations at all air bases in Turkey have resumed."

Turkey, a major U.S. ally in the region, has allowed the U.S. to use Incirlik Air Base in the city of Adana to launch attacks against IS.

Cook said U.S. facilities at the air base are still operating on internal power sources and hopes commercial power will soon be restored.

Meanwhile, Turkish authorities have detained the commander of Incirlik Air Base, General Bekir Ercan Van, along with ten other soldiers and one police officer for their roles in the botched coup attempt.

The Turkish private DHA news agency showed video footage of the general in handcuffs as he was pushed into a van outside a courthouse.

VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb contributed to this report

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