Turkish police have fired tear gas to disperse a pro-Palestinian rally outside a military base housing US troops and weapons, an AFP photographer at the scene said.

The protest outside the Incirlik Air Base in southeastern Turkey was organised by the IHH humanitarian relief fund, which in 2010 led a flotilla to Gaza that sparked Israeli raids in which 10 civilians died.

Images on social media showed several hundred people waving Palestinian flags and running across a field chased by the police, who also used water cannons at Incirlik.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests. US officials issued no immediate comment.

The Mediterranean coastal base is owned by Turkey but used by the US Air Force and occasionally by Britain’s Royal Air Force, providing them with strategic access to large parts of the Middle East.

The IHH protest was timed to coincide with a visit to Ankara by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is due to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday.

Opinion

Editorial

A breakthrough?
07 May, 2026

A breakthrough?

The whole world would welcome an end to this pointless war.
Missed opportunity
07 May, 2026

Missed opportunity

A BIG opportunity to industrialise Pakistan has just passed us by. This has been reconfirmed by the investment...
Punishing dissent
07 May, 2026

Punishing dissent

THE Sindh government’s treatment of the Aurat March this week was a disgraceful assault on democratic rights. What...
The May war
Updated 06 May, 2026

The May war

Rationality demands that both states come to the table and discuss their grievances, and their solutions in a mature manner.
Looking inwards
06 May, 2026

Looking inwards

REGULAR appraisals by human rights groups and activists should not be treated by the authorities as attempts to ...
Feeling the heat
06 May, 2026

Feeling the heat

ANOTHER heatwave season has begun, and once again, the state is scrambling to respond to conditions it has long been...