The US military arrives in Turkey to help with earthquake relief

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The US military has begun deploying troops to assist with earthquake relief in Turkey, officials said Friday, with a Navy headquarters overseeing the mission and a Marine general on the ground assessing the scope of support needed.

brig. Gen. Andrew Priddy, commander of Naval Task Force Europe, arrived Thursday at Incirlik Air Base, a Turkish base used by the US military about 120 miles west of the epicenter. He was joined by a team from the US European Command headquarters in Germany. Officials said any assistance provided by US forces would be coordinated through the US Agency for International Development at Turkey’s request.

US forces are already assisting with search and rescue efforts, providing medical and other assistance, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of European Command, said in a statement. He described the earthquake as an “incalculable catastrophe”.

Live updates: Turkey and Syria earthquake: death toll exceeds 23,000

The Army’s expanded disaster response mission, first reported by The Washington Post, has been announced as the death toll from the quakes has risen to more than 23,000. Dozens of buildings were destroyed in southern Turkey and northern Syria, leaving thousands homeless and injured. The harsh winter weather compounded the suffering.

The United Nations has sent relief teams to the area as well, but these efforts have been hampered by damage to infrastructure and the ongoing conflict in Syria, which has fractured the country.

It was not clear how the army could also help in Syria, where the United States maintains a limited counterterrorism mission in the northeast. In a statement on Wednesday, the senior US officer overseeing US military activity there, Gen. Michael “Eric” Corella, said his headquarters had set up a team to “increase support” for affected people in both countries.

While Turkey and Syria border each other, European Command oversees US military missions in Turkey and Central Command commands missions in Syria. Turkey, a NATO ally, has a much closer relationship with Washington, though it is strained at times.

Corella spokesman Col. Joe Buccino said Friday that Central Command is “leaning as forward as possible” in preparation to support people in Turkey or northern Syria. The general and his staff are in contact with European Command, USAID, and the Syrian Democratic Forces, the group in northern Syria with which the United States has participated in the campaign against the Islamic State.

Nowhere to Flee: An earthquake displaces Syrians in rebel territory once again

The Department of Defense has not specified which US military units may be called upon to assist on the ground. A US military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal talks, said on Friday that “there hasn’t been a huge personnel request” yet.

Two other US officials said that an option often deployed for humanitarian crises, a Marine Expeditionary Unit, or MEU, is not available because senior commanders at the Pentagon have left a gap between their usual rotations in the region. Those units are deployed with about 2,200 Marines aboard three Navy ships, officials said, but none have been in Europe for months as the US military faces a shortage of ships deemed ready to go.

“If there is a MEU, it will respond,” said one official. “They’re not there, and that’s a problem.”

US Army spokesman Lt. Cmdr. The aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush and its escort ships arrived in the eastern Mediterranean within hours of being directed there Tuesday, Daniel Day said Friday, ready to provide logistics, as well as medical support and helicopters.

Army helicopters have also begun flights from Incirlik, including delivering first responders to the locations most affected by the earthquakes and transporting injured civilians to medical care. Day said that additional US aircraft present in Europe will be sent to Incirlik to enhance its capacity.

Day said US Air Force personnel stationed in Incirlik are supporting Turkish military forces as they offload thousands of pounds of food and other aid that is pouring in from allies and partners. Air Force planes are flying in supplies and relief workers from the United States, including urban search and rescue teams.

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