Turkish officials admitted Thursday that the US forces had used the Incirlik air base in the south of the country to launch air aids on Afghanistan after parliament passed a law mandating the government to take part in the US-led anti-terrorism war.
Lawmakers Wednesday authorized the government to send soldiers abroad and to allow the deployment of foreign troops in Turkey if it deems it necessary as part of the US-led drive against terrorism.
However, the streets remained relatively calm as Islamists did not show up, “fearing a severe security crackdown,” according to Al Jazeera satellite channel’s correspondent.
The authorities “took the opportunity to close down Islamic foundations under the pretext that they were ordered by the US to do so,” said the report.
But Turkey’s secular governments have for long targeting Islamists in the country.
Howver, AFP reported that about 200 left-wing university students staged a peaceful protest in Istanbul on Thursday to denounce the US-led strikes in Afghanistan.
"We are together with the oppressed peoples," the students from Istanbul University chanted as they marched through the streets of the historical Beyazit district, Anatolia said.
Turkey, the only mainly Muslim country in NATO, has lent support for the US-British bombardment of Afghanistan while warning against the spread of the operation to other regions – Albawaba.com
