The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration had suspended all U.S. airline carriers from flying to or from Istanbul and Ankara Airports.
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The General Staff also praised the efforts of the “heroes” of the Turkish Armed Forces and police forces, who it said gave a “prompt and resolute response” to the coup attempt of “terrorist traitors embedded within the Turkish army who belonged to an illegal organization”.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said in a television interview that “the cleansing (operation) is continuing. The number could surpass 6,000”, Bozdag said in televised comments. He also warned against claiming the United States played any role in the events, and that continued claims were false and would be “harmful to our bilateral relations”.
Gulen, 75, was once a close ally of Erdogan but the two fell out in recent years as Erdogan became suspicious of Gulen’s movement, Hizmet, and its powerful presence in Turkish society, including the media, police and judiciary.
“Protecting [Gulen] will weaken the US’s position and damage its reputation”, he said.
In an unusual show of unity, Turkey’s four main political parties released a joint declaration during an extraordinary parliamentary meeting Saturday, denouncing the coup attempt and claiming that any moves against the people or parliament will be met “with the iron will of the Turkish Grand National Assembly”.
They were stopped, however, as people flooded onto the streets in support of the leader, who was democratically elected.
During a passionate speech, the president paid tribute to the “martyrs” of democracy, insisting that the people were stronger. “This tradition will continue”.
Besides the thousands of soldiers who were detained, as many as 2,745 judges were also fired across the country.
Already, three of the country’s top generals have been detained, alongside hundreds of soldiers.
A section of the Turkish military late on Friday attempted a coup, flying warplanes over Istanbul and capital city Ankara. At least 1400 people were wounded.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol, initially reported there were clashes in the area. The uprising was thwarted after thousands of civilians heeded Erdogan’s call to march in support of the government.
As the soliders involved in the coup surrendered following a night of violence that left at least 265 dead, supporters loyal to the government rounded on the rebels.
Nor has Mr Erdogan suffered any illusions that his commitment to a more Islamist-based form of government in Turkey, where women are increasingly encouraged to wear the veil, places him at odds with the military’s determination to uphold Ataturk’s secular legacy.
That includes some 3,000 military personnel detained in bases around the country, as NPR’s Leila Fadel tells Weekend Edition Sunday. The agency said 58 homes of prosecutors and judges have been searched.
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Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines said it has cancelled 196 domestic and worldwide flights in and out of Istanbul due to disruptions in air traffic brought on by the attempted coup.
