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U.S. releases Turkish soldiers

ANKARA JULY 7. Eleven Turkish special forces returned to northern Iraq on Monday after their release by the U.S. military, ending a standoff which Turkey's military chief described as the biggest "crisis of confidence" between the NATO allies Turkey and the United States.

The 11 Turkish soldiers along with 13 Iraqi civilian staff and security guards were returned to their office in the northern city of Sulaymaniyah on Monday.

U.S. troops from the 173rd Airborne took the Turkish forces into custody on Friday in Sulaymaniyah over an alleged plot to harm Iraqi Kurdish civilian officials in the north. Turkey has denied any such plot.

The detentions outraged Turkey, deepened the Turkish public's mistrust of the U.S., and strained efforts to repair relations soured over the Iraq war. Hilmi Ozkok, the chief of military staff, said the detentions "created the biggest crisis of confidence between the Turkish and U.S. armed forces."

``The U.S. soldiers attempted to enter by force. But Turkish soldiers welcomed them in a way suitable for an allied country ... In a way I just cannot understand and accept, Turkish forces were blocked from doing their jobs, their equipment was destroyed and some were taken away,'' he said.

Gen. Ozkok hinted that he doubted U.S. officials' initial statements that the incident occurred without their knowledge.

``I do not believe this is a policy of the American armed forces. But ... taking into account the length of time that has passed since (Turkish forces were detained)... I must say that I am having difficulty believing that this is a local incident,'' he said. — AP

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