'Turkey probes US nukes at airbase'

The report, called the "US nuclear weapons in Europe," indicates that Washington currently has 90 nuclear bombs of the "B 61" variety in Turkey, all on the Incirlik Air Force base, Turkey's Hurriyetnewspaper reported on its website on Friday. 

The account has been prepared by the US National Resources Defense Council and is based on figures provided last February by the US Air Force. 

It says 50 of the B-61 bombs are ready to be loaded onto American bomber planes while the remaining 40 will be loaded onto Turkish planes. 

According to the daily, Turkish MP Shukru Elekdag has questioned reasons behind keeping the bombs on Turkish soil even decades after the end of the Cold War. 

Elekdag has also noted that Turkey's consent to the deployment of the US nuclear bombs at Incirlik is an act which 'could not be easily explained to its Muslim and Arab neighbors.' 

Press reports have established that US currently has more than 100 nuclear bombs positioned in bases in Belgium, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. 

GHN/MB