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İncirlik shop owners moved to U.S. base in Iraq
Saturday, April 28, 2007
İncirlik has turned into a ghost town after the Turkish Paliament refused permission for the base to be used for entering Iraq from the north by U.S. troops on April 1, 2003. Seventy percent of 380 shop owners have moved to a U.S. base in Iraq. The luxury shops and restaurant-bars were intended to only serve Americans
ALPARSLAN AKKUŞ
ADANA- Turkish Daily News
The fate of İncirlik town changed after the establishment of the U.S. air base in 1951. It was established to counter the Soviet threat during the cold war era and since then, it is perceived as the most important political bargaining tool on the table in Turkish-U.S. relations. However, the importance of the U.S. base in İncirlik has constantly changed according to hot spots both in Russia and the Middle East. Most recently the base left its mark on the agenda, on April 1, 2003 when the then newly elected Turkish Parliament headed by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) refused permission to use the base for the war in Iraq. Since then, daily life in İncirlik has changed drastically.
The economy of the town, depending solely on the existence of the U.S. base, had experienced a golden era with its luxury shops, restaurants and bars targeting American consumers and with increasing rental revenues. During those days, when 12,000 American soldiers were present on the base, $ 300,000 was flowing to the town from the base daily. A single shop was making at least $1,000 in sales revenue in a one day. Americans were giving heart not only to tradesmen in İncirlik, but also to all those shop owners on the shoreline stretching from Mersin to Silifke, where they stopped by during weekends. Newly established luxury entertainment centers targeting the Americans appeared in those seaside towns, but İncirlik was the most special case of them all. The tradesmen of İncirlik tried to show their gratitude by placing black badges during the second anniversary of 9/11. The very basis of existence for İncirlik shops as a whole was the U.S. base and its economy was bound to existence of the U.S. base. Nowadays, the reduced number of American soldiers at the base is not enough for the town to prosper.
I went to İncirlik to see the current situation on a Saturday night, expected to be the most crowded time of the week. We were faced with the “welcome arch” at the entrance to the renowned İncirlik street. The whole road right up to the U.S. base was illuminated; street lights, shops' outdoor signs, flashing neon's of bars and lights hung over the trees... as if it were the 5th Avenue of Adana. The only missing thing was, the people! The whole street was totally deserted. The luxury shops, which do not target local town residents, were waiting for a couple of Americans to leave the base. I witnessed that most of the shops were shut as I walked along the street. Many of the shop owners had moved to a U.S. base in Iraq. Now, there are more than 200 Turkish shops at the Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul, Iraq and most of them are those who left İncirlik.
Shop owners are about to go bankrupt
The best place to show the present condition in İncirlik is Müjdat's restaurant. Hundreds of photographs hang on the walls of the restaurant, famous American pop singers, top level army and state officials and even George W. Bush is seen. Now there is just one American soldier, eating dinner with his Turkish girlfriend, left from those good old days. The restaurant owner Turgay Akçınar said they could not meet the costs but refrain to close down since they have a reputable brand name. They even have English-speaking waiters; for instance Ali Kahvecioğlu, 24, has learned English at the Turkish-American Association in Adana. Akçınar, faces difficulties even to pay the salaries, said that they came up with the solution to open up a branch in Iraq.
When we headed to Cheers Bar, that has a 200 meter-square sheltered area and a 60 meter-square terrace, we faced a worse situation: loud music is blaring and the disco lights are flashing but there is nobody inside. Jashua, the owner of the bar, is playing billiards on the terrace with his friends. He said they make YTL 1,500 YTL a month at the most, which is not enough to run the bar. He has also opened a souvenir shop in Iraq.
I noticed vivacity in a shop right next to the bar and went there. An American woman happened to be there following up on her furniture order. Erdinç, the owner of Freedom Furniture, said they produce furniture based on advance orders and sell approximately three or four bedrooms a month, earning about $5,000 – 7,000. Mostly those Americans, whose term has ended and are preparing to return to the U.S., buy furniture.
The President of İncirlik Merchant's Association Abdülkerim Estetik
3,000 new U.S. soldiers to come
Estetik holds the parliament, which refused permission on April 1, as solely responsible for the situation of the tradesmen in İncirlik. After refusing permission, the U.S. force has downsized from a brigade to a regiment and the number of soldiers has reduced to 1,200. There were 380 shops operating here. During the last three years, 40 tradesmen have gone bankrupt and the remaining 70 percent have moved to the U.S. base in Iraq. Now there are only 105 shops left here and all of them are about to go bankrupt. Saying that he is in continuous contact with top military officials from the U.S. base, Estetik claimed that those officials, whom he cannot name, said that if the Armenian genocide bill does not pass in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. would send 2,000 or 3,000 more soldiers to İncirlik.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
İncirlik has turned into a ghost town after the Turkish Paliament refused permission for the base to be used for entering Iraq from the north by U.S. troops on April 1, 2003. Seventy percent of 380 shop owners have moved to a U.S. base in Iraq. The luxury shops and restaurant-bars were intended to only serve Americans
ALPARSLAN AKKUŞ
ADANA- Turkish Daily News
The fate of İncirlik town changed after the establishment of the U.S. air base in 1951. It was established to counter the Soviet threat during the cold war era and since then, it is perceived as the most important political bargaining tool on the table in Turkish-U.S. relations. However, the importance of the U.S. base in İncirlik has constantly changed according to hot spots both in Russia and the Middle East. Most recently the base left its mark on the agenda, on April 1, 2003 when the then newly elected Turkish Parliament headed by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) refused permission to use the base for the war in Iraq. Since then, daily life in İncirlik has changed drastically.
The economy of the town, depending solely on the existence of the U.S. base, had experienced a golden era with its luxury shops, restaurants and bars targeting American consumers and with increasing rental revenues. During those days, when 12,000 American soldiers were present on the base, $ 300,000 was flowing to the town from the base daily. A single shop was making at least $1,000 in sales revenue in a one day. Americans were giving heart not only to tradesmen in İncirlik, but also to all those shop owners on the shoreline stretching from Mersin to Silifke, where they stopped by during weekends. Newly established luxury entertainment centers targeting the Americans appeared in those seaside towns, but İncirlik was the most special case of them all. The tradesmen of İncirlik tried to show their gratitude by placing black badges during the second anniversary of 9/11. The very basis of existence for İncirlik shops as a whole was the U.S. base and its economy was bound to existence of the U.S. base. Nowadays, the reduced number of American soldiers at the base is not enough for the town to prosper.
I went to İncirlik to see the current situation on a Saturday night, expected to be the most crowded time of the week. We were faced with the “welcome arch” at the entrance to the renowned İncirlik street. The whole road right up to the U.S. base was illuminated; street lights, shops' outdoor signs, flashing neon's of bars and lights hung over the trees... as if it were the 5th Avenue of Adana. The only missing thing was, the people! The whole street was totally deserted. The luxury shops, which do not target local town residents, were waiting for a couple of Americans to leave the base. I witnessed that most of the shops were shut as I walked along the street. Many of the shop owners had moved to a U.S. base in Iraq. Now, there are more than 200 Turkish shops at the Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul, Iraq and most of them are those who left İncirlik.
Shop owners are about to go bankrupt
The best place to show the present condition in İncirlik is Müjdat's restaurant. Hundreds of photographs hang on the walls of the restaurant, famous American pop singers, top level army and state officials and even George W. Bush is seen. Now there is just one American soldier, eating dinner with his Turkish girlfriend, left from those good old days. The restaurant owner Turgay Akçınar said they could not meet the costs but refrain to close down since they have a reputable brand name. They even have English-speaking waiters; for instance Ali Kahvecioğlu, 24, has learned English at the Turkish-American Association in Adana. Akçınar, faces difficulties even to pay the salaries, said that they came up with the solution to open up a branch in Iraq.
When we headed to Cheers Bar, that has a 200 meter-square sheltered area and a 60 meter-square terrace, we faced a worse situation: loud music is blaring and the disco lights are flashing but there is nobody inside. Jashua, the owner of the bar, is playing billiards on the terrace with his friends. He said they make YTL 1,500 YTL a month at the most, which is not enough to run the bar. He has also opened a souvenir shop in Iraq.
I noticed vivacity in a shop right next to the bar and went there. An American woman happened to be there following up on her furniture order. Erdinç, the owner of Freedom Furniture, said they produce furniture based on advance orders and sell approximately three or four bedrooms a month, earning about $5,000 – 7,000. Mostly those Americans, whose term has ended and are preparing to return to the U.S., buy furniture.
The President of İncirlik Merchant's Association Abdülkerim Estetik
3,000 new U.S. soldiers to come
Estetik holds the parliament, which refused permission on April 1, as solely responsible for the situation of the tradesmen in İncirlik. After refusing permission, the U.S. force has downsized from a brigade to a regiment and the number of soldiers has reduced to 1,200. There were 380 shops operating here. During the last three years, 40 tradesmen have gone bankrupt and the remaining 70 percent have moved to the U.S. base in Iraq. Now there are only 105 shops left here and all of them are about to go bankrupt. Saying that he is in continuous contact with top military officials from the U.S. base, Estetik claimed that those officials, whom he cannot name, said that if the Armenian genocide bill does not pass in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. would send 2,000 or 3,000 more soldiers to İncirlik.
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