The president also slammed Washington for harboring the USA -based preacher Fetullah Gulen, who is accused of being the mastermind of the deadly coup plot.
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The Pentagon on Friday flatly rejected allegations by Turkey’s president that the USA military was somehow involved in or in any way supported the recent failed coup in that country.
Abdullah Ayasun, former journalist of the newspaper Zaman who is now in Boston, said for Fairpress he is anxiously keeping track of the events in Turkey through close friends: Many of my friends are detained.
On Friday, Erdogan condemned Western countries for failing to show solidarity with Turkey over the recent failed coup, saying those who anxious over the fate of coup supporters instead of Turkish democracy could not be friends of Ankara.
“Instead of thanking this nation that quashed the coup in the name of democracy, on the contrary you are taking sides with the coup plotters”, Erdogan said, adding, “Besides, the coup plotter is in your country anyway”.
Turkey’s top military commander, who was held hostage during an attempted coup, kept his post Thursday, while the general who served as acting chief of staff was promoted after a purge in the military after the failed takeover.
Speaking to reporters, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook sought to soften the impact of remarks made earlier in the week by Gen. Joseph Votel, the head of U.S. Central Command, which suggested that the failed coup might disrupt the U.S. relationship with a key North Atlantic Treaty Organisation partner.
Replying on Friday after President Erdogan’s comments, Gen Votel said any reports that he was involved in the coup were “unfortunate and completely inaccurate”.
Turkey’s government has asked Nigeria to close down 17 Turkish schools in the West African country that it says are linked to Fethullah Gulen, the USA -based cleric that Ankara blames for the recent failed coup.
This post was syndicated from Vanguard News.
“We have certainly had relationships with a lot of Turkish leaders – military leaders in particular”.
Nevertheless, there is a growing anti-US mood in Turkey which is likely to harden further if Washington refuses to extradite Gulen. He declined to say when a U.S. decision would be made.
Cook said that while USA and Turkish officials “talk every day”, he could not say whether or not any senior US defense or military officials had reached out to Erdogan Friday to specifically discuss or refute the latest accusations.
Turkish authorities have launched a series of mass purges of suspected Gulen supporters, suspending, detaining or putting under investigation tens of thousands of police, judges, teachers, diplomats, journalists and others since the coup.
The purges have also hit government ministries, schools and universities, the police, civil service, media and business.
Security forces in the central city of Kayseri detained the chairman of the prominent family-owned Boydak Holding company, Mustafa Boydak, and two other top executives, Anadolu said.
Authorities have issued warrants for the detention of 89 journalists, and dozens of media organisations, mostly linked to Mr Gulen, were ordered to close on Wednesday night.
Mr Yildirim also said Turkey would shut down an air base near Ankara which served as a hub for the coup plotters as well as all military barracks used by them.
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“We have cleaned out from the military the FETO elements who disguised themselves as soldiers”, said Yildirim.
