BREAKING NEWS

Germany eyes Jordan as base for troops due to Turkey row

BERLIN - Germany said on Wednesday it was considering moving the roughly 250 troops deployed at Turkey's Incirlik base to help in the fight against Islamic State militants to Jordan because Ankara refuses to grant German lawmakers access to the site.
Turkish officials have told Reuters a visit by German lawmakers to some 250 German soldiers at Incirlik to provide logistical support to the US-led coalition would not be appropriate at the moment.
The deepening row has further soured relations that became increasingly strained ahead of a constitutional referendum in Turkey that handed President Tayyip Erdogan sweeping new powers.
Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who is visiting Jordan at the weekend, told reporters after a parliamentary committee meeting that the government had been evaluating possible alternatives to Incirlik for some time.