ANKARA — Six US F-16 fighter jets arrived at an air base in southern Turkey on Sunday to join the US-led coalition fight against Daesh (the so-called) militants, the US military said. The US European Command said in a statement that the US Air Force deployed a "small detachment" of six F-16 jets, support equipment and about 300 personnel at Incirlik Air Base. The detachment is part of the 31st Fighter Wing based at Aviano Air Base, in Italy, it said. Turkey carried out airstrikes against IS targets in Syria last month following a suicide bombing that killed 32 people and the killing of a soldier by IS militants and agreed to allow the US to use the strategically-located base. The moves ended months of reluctance by Turkey, giving it a more active role in the US-led coalition against the extremist group. Last week, US armed drones taking off from Incirlik struck Daesh positions, and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said an "extensive" fight against the extremists would soon begin. "The United States and Turkey, as members of the 60-plus nation coalition, are committed to the fight against Daesh in the pursuit of peace and stability in the region," the US military said. Turkish media reports say the US is expected to deploy around 30 fighter jets at Incirlik for strikes against Daesh. Incirlik is located close to Daesh strongholds across the border in Syria, allowing the US to move more swiftly and nimbly against Daesh targets. Its use would enable the US-led coalition to conduct better surveillance over Syria and act quicker on intelligence than when it was limited to launching flights from places like Iraq, Jordan and the Gulf states. Meanwhile, US-led forces conducted 16 air strikes in Iraq and seven in Syria on Saturday against Daesh targets, the US military said. In Iraq, five airstrikes were near Mosul, three near Ramadi and three near Sinjar aimed to beat back the militants, destroying excavators, tactical units, buildings and weapons, the Combined Joint Task Force said on Sunday in a statement. Other strikes were located near Kirkuk, Fallujah, Tal Afar, Makhmur and Kabbaniyah, it said. The airstrikes in Syria were concentrated around Hasaka, Aleppo and Kobani, where they struck a bunker, a tank, anti-aircraft artillery pieces and tactical units, it said. — Agencies
