Turkey investigating drone found at Incirlik Air Base

Turkey is investigating a crashed drone that was retrieved at Incirlik airase in the country's southern Adana province.

The drone was found on Wednesday in the 10th Tanker Base Command area, security sources told Anadolu Agency.

Anti-terror police units confiscated the drone and took it to the provincial police command for further investigation.

READ MORE: Why are US military bases in Turkey so crucial for Washington?

Significance of Incirlik airbase

Since 1956, the US has operated strategic reconnaissance missions from Incirlik airbase to the areas close to the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea and Central Asia, mainly to follow the moves of the then Soviet Union and later Russia and its allies. 

In 2004, the base was reportedly one of the centres of Washington’s largest military movement concerning Iraq in the US history, providing its troops what they need during their stops there. 

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the base had also been a principal focal point for Washington’s Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. 

Since 2014, the base was used to conduct for operations against Daesh in Syria and Iraq. 

Beyond regular military missions, the Incirlik base hosts at least 50 B61 nuclear bombs in its hangars, demonstrating its strategic significance for Washington and NATO. 

The base has been one of the unique locations, holding US nuclear weapons alongside with Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, since the Cold War.