Turkey withdraws troops from NATO drill in Norway

By Baris Gundogan

ANKARA

Turkey has withdrawn its troops from a NATO military drill in Norway after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that his name and the picture of Turkish Republic’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk were used in an "enemy chart”.

"There was an incident in Norway," Erdogan told ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party members in capital Ankara.

"They used an enemy chart in Norway. In that chart, there was my name and [Mustafa Kemal] Ataturk's picture."

The president said he was informed about the issue by Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik.

"They told me that they are withdrawing our 40 soldiers from there [Norway]," Erdogan said.

"I told them to do that immediately. There can be no alliance like that."