US considering Ankara's request to base predators in Turkey

The Obama administration is considering a request from Turkey to base a fleet of Predator drones on Turkish soil for counterterrorism operations in northern Iraq, The decision could strengthen a diplomatic alliance but drag the United States deeper into a regional conflict, (The Washington Post) Daily quoted senior military officials as saying. The Obama administration has not made a decision on the Turkish request , the newspaper added . The US military has flown the unarmed Predators from Iraqi bases since 2007 and shared the planes’ surveillance video with Turkey as part of a secretive joint crackdown against fighters from the Kurdistan Workers'' Party, or PKK. Unless a new home for the Predators is found, however, the counterterrorism partnership could cease by December 31, when all US forces are scheduled to withdraw from Iraq.