Joseph Cirincione, president of the nonproliferation and anti-war Ploughshares Fund nonprofit, told Stars and Stripes that the Turkish base was the “worst place possible to be keeping”roughly 50 of Washington’s nukes. 

Officials have also suggested relocating the 2,500 US troops currently housed at the base.

Some estimates say that more than 70,000 people have been arrested for alleged involvement in the uprising, including judges, military and police officials, university professors and other dignitaries.

Also at issue is Ankara agreeing to buy Russia’s S-400 Air Defense System, and its taking issue with the goals of the US-lead coalition in Syria. 

During a July 25 address to Parliament lawmakers from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Erdogan defended the purchase, asking “Why will it cause tension? A country should be in search for the ideal ways for its own security,” according to Hurriyet Daily News. Erdogan pointed out that for years Greece, a NATO member state, has been using the Russian-made system without controversy.

There is also suspicion in Washington that Turkey may have leaked the locations of sensitive US bases in Syria to a state-run news agency. 

“Right after the coup attempt they shut our base down for about a week… I think Turkey needs to be treated in some cases, at the very least, as neutral,” he advised.

One former senior NATO official said that regional issues make Incirlik an unsafe place for US weapons, telling Stars and Stripes, “If there are nuclear weapons stored in Turkey, they should be removed given the instability, both in the country and across the border in Syria and Iraq.”

https://sputniknews.com/us/201707271055910350-former-officials-pull-weapons-turkey/