Turkey has US ‘teams,’ not troops

Suggestions by top U.S. commanders that Washington has sent military personnel to Turkey to assist on a variety of issues, ranging from Syria to outlawed militants, should not be understood as a deployment of U.S. troops in Turkey, a senior Turkish diplomat has said.

The U.S. has at times sent teams to Turkey to assist on the issues of humanitarian zones, ballistic missile systems and Turkey’s anti-terror fight, Martin Dempsey, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Oct. 26.

Dempsey’s words came days after U.S. Army Europe Commander Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling said the U.S. Armed Forces had recently sent soldiers to Turkey and that the soldiers deployed in Turkey had been sharing intelligence, prompting the Turkish diplomat to deny suggestions that the move constituted a deployment of U.S. soldiers in the country.

Source and full story: Hurriyet, 28 Oct 2012