He said the US had no prior indication of the coup attempt, which came as Erdogan was on vacation. CNN Turkey said pro-coup soldiers stormed their studio, forcing an end to their broadcast for several hours during the height of the unrest.
Advertisement
Erdogan, an often combative figure, has been accused of increasingly autocratic conduct even though his government was democratically elected and he commands deep support among Turkey’s pious Muslim class. The military has long seen itself as the guarantor of secular government in Turkey, and many in its ranks have bristled at both his tightening grip on power and the growing Islamic influence under Erdogan.
Yesterday, thousands of jubilant supporters again mobilised in response to Erdogan’s call to fill Turkey’s squares, massing in Taksim in central Istanbul, the president’s home district of Kisikli, Ankara’s Kizilay Square and in the coastal city of Izmir, AFP correspondents said.
In a televised speech Saturday, Erdogan said Turkey had never rejected a USA extradition request for “terrorists”.
As the coup began unfolding Friday night, Erdogan made a dramatic address to the nation via the Facetime application on a cellphone from an undisclosed location, urging Turks to take to the streets to defend the democratically elected government.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has apparently put down a clumsy military coup, but the fallout, as he punishes those who challenged his government, will plunge Turkey’s domestic politics and its relations with the US into new turmoil. The cleric lives in exile in Pennsylvania and promotes a philosophy that blends a mystical form of Islam with staunch advocacy of democracy, education, science and interfaith dialogue.
Erdogan said he had warned President Barack Obama that Gulen was trying to destabilize Turkey. “We fully anticipate that there will be questions raised about Mr. Gulen”.
Gulen has harshly condemned the attempted coup attempt by military officers that resulted in a night of explosions, air battles and gunfire that left dozens dead.
The US “would invite the government of Turkey, as we always do, to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny”, Kerry said.
Other Turkish officials said that Ankara was preparing an extradition demand for Gulen.
The navy has 13 submarines, 18 frigates and six corvettes, while the Air Force can now draw on over 200 F-16s, the second-biggest number after the United States.
Gulen denied any responsibility for instigating the uprising and issued a statement saying his group does not support any military attempt to take over the government.
Asked how the United States could be taken so off-guard by the coup, Kerry said: “Well if you’re planning a coup, you don’t exactly advertise it to your partners in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation”.
In the worldwide arena, Erdogan recently sought to patch up disputes with Israel and Russian Federation, and to lend stronger support to U.S.-led efforts against the Islamic State group after being accused of tolerating the flow of foreign extremists and weapons from Turkey into Syria.
Advertisement
Kerry also urged USA citizens in Turkey to stay indoors and to be in touch with family and friends. All parliamentary parties condemned the putsch attempt and foreign governments lined up behind the civilian cabinet. Kerry also said Turkey needed to respect due process as it investigates those it believes were involved in the plot. Prime Minister Benali Yildirim said 161 people were killed and 1,440 wounded in the overnight violence. Addressing Washington, he requested the handover of Gulen and said, “If we are strategic partners, then you should bring about our request”. He said 2,839 plotters were detained. “I must say, it does not appear to have been a very brilliantly planned or executed event”.
