No US troops are known to have been hurt in the bomb attack Thursday that killed six police officers and injured two dozen people in Diyarbakir, Turkey, European Command officials said. The attack targeted a police vehicle near the city’s main bus terminal, one day before the Turkish prime minister was scheduled to visit the Kurdish-majority city, AFP reported. USAF began deploying US aircraft and airmen to the airbase in Diyarbakir in September; Tuesday, Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the families of troops assigned to southern Turkey to leave because of security concerns. The first group of those families arrived at Ramstein AB, Germany, on Thursday, according to a press release. European Command and US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa officials would not comment on specific force protection measures in Turkey, but said they “continually assess threats” in the region and are committed to ensuring the safety and security of service members, civilians, and their families.
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.