REQUEST FOR M113 ARMORED VEHICLES DELIVERED TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001771 SIPDIS FOR PM/RSAT CHRIS DANIELEWSKI AND NEA/ARP ANDREW MACDONALD E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2018 TAGS: PREL PARM YM TU SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR M113 ARMORED VEHICLES DELIVERED TO TURKEY REF: STATE 105349 Classified By: Political-Military Counselor Anthony Godfrey for reasons 1.4 (b and d) ¶1. (SBU) We delivered reftel request for third-party transfer of M113 armored personnel carriers to Yemen on October 7 to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Head of Department for Security Affairs Inan Ozyildiz. Ozyildiz pledged that MFA would give the request serious consideration but said the decision would be made by the Turkish General Staff to which he said he would forward the request. ¶2. (C) Comment: We are uncertain of the current number of such vehicles in the Turkish Land Forces' inventory, but given the current domestic offensive by PKK, including the terrorist group's largest and most brazen attack on a Turkish military outpost in over a year on October 3, we doubt that Turkey will be able to give up any APCs in the next three months. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey WILSON