On Saturday night, Saudi Arabia confirmed that they dispatched fighter jets to NATO-member Turkey’s Incirlik air base to make a contribution to the combat against Islamic state militants.
Brigadier standard Ahmed al-Assiri, adviser of Saudi Arabia’s defense minister office, told pan-Arab Al Arabiya tv that the kingdom was committed to stepping up against the Islamic state and that the step was a part of those efforts.
He additionally stated that the current presence in the air base was limited to fighter plane and no ground troops were sent.
“what’s present now is aircraft which are part of the Saudi Arabian forces,” Assiri told in reaction to a query on whether ground troops had been included.
Saudi Arabia has resumed its participation in air strikes against Islamic kingdom in recent weeks and US Defence Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday welcomed its commitment to expand its role.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu informed media on Saturday that Saudi Arabia had completed inspections at the air base in practice to sending aircraft.