Turkish soldiers at NATO base in Germany seek asylum: Report

BERLIN – The Associated Press

Several members of the Turkish military stationed at a NATO base in southeast Germany have sought asylum in the country to avoid returning to Turkey, the German DPA news agency has reported.

DPA reported on Nov. 16 that the soldiers are stationed at NATO’s air command in Ramstein, southwest Germany.

It quoted a regional official in nearby Kaiserslautern, Paul Junker, saying that family members of the soldiers had also applied for asylum.

Junker reportedly said the asylum requests had come from “more than one family,” but declined to say how many individuals were involved.

The news agency also did not specify why the military officers and their family attempted to remain in Germany. 

Many Turkish diplomats and soldiers have sought asylum since the July 15 coup attempt, widely believed to have been orchestrated by followers of the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen. 

Turkey has arrested thousands of members of its military following the failed bid.

Relations between Germany and Turkey have been strained recently, with officials in Berlin saying that Ankara’s extradition requests for coup suspects currently in the country would not be granted if they are “politically motivated.