Via GEFIRA,
For some time now Syria and Iraq have been a place where interests of many players are clashing. The region is being devastated by civil war or a war by proxy, fought by a number of participants, where the borderline between friend and foe is sharp or vague as the case may be.
Several months after an unprecedented collapse in relations between two NATO member states, on Thursday Germany’s military announced it has finished its withdrawal from Turkey’s strategic airbase Incirlik, which as a reminder was prompted by Ankara’s refusal to allow visits by German parliamentarians. Going forward, Bundeswehr planes will instead be based in Jordan.
An RAF Tornado jet was badly damaged after it collided with a stray dog while landing at a British airbase in Cyprus. The £9.4 million Tornado GR4 was returning to its base after reportedly fighting ISIS targets in Syria on Tuesday when the incident occurred. RT reports: The 14 ton jet needed “hundreds of thousands” of pounds worth of repairs, a source told the Sun, and was taken out of action. The plane was approaching the coastal base at around 200mph when a stray dog ran across the airstrip.