WASHINGTON
Hundreds of family members of U.S. personnel in southern Turkey will voluntarily leave the area while military operations continue to target Daesh in Syria and Iraq, the U.S. said Thursday.
"This decision was made out of an abundance of caution, following the commencement of military operations out of Incirlik Air Base," according to a written statement by Mark toner, a State Department spokesman.
"We will continue to evaluate our security posture in Turkey and worldwide", Toner said.
Approximately 900 family members will vacate the area, according to Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook.
Relocation expenses will be paid by the U.S. government for those who wish to return to the U.S. and "family members who wish to remain in Turkey are free to do so at this time", Cook said.
"Obviously things have changed somewhat at Incirlik, in terms of our operations out of Incirlik," he said, adding that the departures were not authorized because of "any specific new threat".
In addition to the base, families of personnel at the U.S. consulate in Adana, located 12 kilometers (7 miles) from Incirlik, were also authorized to leave.
Incirlik Air Base is located close to Turkey’s border with war-torn Syria and was opened in July to U.S.-led coalition forces after an agreement was reached with the Turkish government to expand operations against Daesh.
In early August, the coalition began launching operations from the air base that targeted Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
