Turkish Military Clarifies 2005 Altercation Between US and Turkish Personnel at İncirlik

ANKARA, August 2006. The Turkish General Staff issued a statement Sunday addressing a 2005 incident at İncirlik Air Base, saying it acted to correct public misunderstandings stemming from recent newspaper coverage.

According to the statement, on 17 September 2005, American security personnel stopped a vehicle driven by a member of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) who was leaving a facility shared by US and Turkish military staff. The TSK member was suspected of driving while intoxicated and heading the wrong way. When he and his wife resisted requests to exit the vehicle, US personnel physically removed them, triggering a confrontation.

Turkish duty officers and a security team stepped in quickly, and senior commanders were notified. The US security official involved was subsequently sent out of Türkiye.

The TSK member was temporarily reassigned away from the base to distance him from the emotional aftermath of the episode. He later submitted his resignation from the Turkish Armed Forces, a decision the statement described as entirely his own.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in August 2006, in its own words.