Istanbul, Turkey ? The American military has begun using an air base in southern Turkey for a massive rotation of troops in and out of Iraq, a U.S. official told The Associated Press on Sunday in a sign of improved U.S.-Turkish relations.

Turkey’s granting permission to use its Incirlik air base marks a sharp contrast to last year, when the country — opposed to the invasion to oust Saddam Hussein — refused to allow U.S. troops on its territory for the war against its southern neighbor.

It also comes as NATO-ally Turkey is increasingly eager to win favor with the United States amid concerns about Iraqi Kurdish demands for greater autonomy in oil-rich northern Iraq. Turkey, and neighbors Syria and Iran, fear Iraqi Kurds might eventually push for independence and bring instability to their borders.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to raise Turkey’s concerns about Iraq during talks with President Bush in Washington later this month.

The use of Incirlik helps the United States as it deals with the largest movement of troops in decades. The military is preparing to send some 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq home, replacing them with a force of about 110,000.