ANKARA, October 13 (RIA Novosti) - Turkey has not yet made a decision on granting the United States access to its Incirlik air base to be used for attacking the Islamic State (IS) jihadist organization in Syria and Iraq, the country's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated Monday.
"As for the Incirlik base, there is still no decision," the minister told NTV channel.
The official added that there "are no differences with the United States" on the view of using Turkish territory for training moderate Syrian opposition fighters.
Earlier in the day, Agence France-Presse said that Turkey agreed to allow the US-led coalition against the IS to use its military bases to fight against the extremist group.
In September, the media reported, citing a Turkish government source, that the country would not take part in military operations against the IS militants in Syria and Iraq and will not provide an air base on its territory to the US-led anti-IS coalition.
The US Air Forces already use the Incirlik air base for logistical and humanitarian purposes.
The IS, is a Sunni extremist group, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, the group expanded its attacks to northern and western Iraq and declared an Islamic caliphate on the territories that had fallen under its control. A US-led coalition is currently carrying out airstrikes against IS positions in Syria and Iraq.
