The Turks play fast and loose with the status of forces agreement.
A U.S. servicemember, detained this week by Turkish officials over accusations he has links to a U.S.-based Turkish cleric considered an enemy by Ankara, has been released.
U.S. European Command said the soldier was released Thursday, but had no other details.
The American was identified as Yahya Ozer, who is listed in U.S. military records as an Army specialist assigned to Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force–Syria.
Aksam newspaper, a media group that backs the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reported that the soldier was taken into custody at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport earlier in the week. He was stationed at Incirlik Air Base, where he worked as a translator, the newspaper said.
The soldier also has family ties in southern Turkey. Ozer was accused of being a follower of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric who is exiled in Pennsylvania and wanted by the Erdogan regime.[…]
Ozer was apparently headed back to the U.S. when he was taken into custody in Istanbul, the newspaper said. Aksam reported that he had connections to Harmony Public Schools in Texas, which has received funding from Gulen’s supporters.
While recent military records list Ozer as being part of a joint task force in Syria, it is not clear what specific unit he is assigned to. Lt. Col. Loren Bymer, a spokesman with Army Special Operations Command, said Thursday Ozer doesn’t fall under their command.