The annual international Anatolian Eagle exercise held at Turkey's Konya air base took place in early/mid June against a backdrop of continued fighting against ISIL in Syria and Iraq, the conflict in Yemen between Shiite Houthi rebels and pro-government forces along with the constant unease in Libya. With so much uncertainly so close to Turkey's doorstep the need to train and cooperate with NATO and its Middle East allies has never been more important.
