'Tied to no conditions': Türkiye tells US regarding F-16 fighter jets deal

Sources close to the Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday that Türkiye wanted the process of F-16 procurement from the United States to not be tied to any conditions and to be concluded as soon as possible.

The ministry made statements regarding the latest situation in the F-16 deal from the US, which sources stated that they wanted to be concluded positively and quickly as soon as possible.

Türkiye requested in October 2021 to buy 40 new F-16 fighters and nearly 80 modernization kits to upgrade its existing fleet. President Joe Biden's administration has repeatedly expressed its support for the sale.

It was also reported that the Turkish Armed Forces were ready to provide both humanitarian aid and evacuation to Gaza.

Meanwhile, the ministry also noted that two terrorists were killed in a cave in the region of Operation Claw-Lock in northern Iraq.

"It was determined that one of the two terrorists neutralized here was on the Gray List. In addition, a large number of materials, ammunition, thermal umbrellas, electrical cables, generators and explosives were seized in the cave. The ammunition and materials were destroyed in a controlled manner by our METI (Mines and Improvised explosives Search and Destroy) Teams."

According to the ministry, 87 terrorists have been neutralized in the last week including those in northern Iraq and Syria. Thus, the number of terrorists neutralized reached 1,802 this year and 39,145 since July 24, 2015.

Source: Newsroom