Turkish soldiers stand guard at the Taksim Square in Istanbul on July 16, 2016.
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US Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday that Washington had had no idea that a coup attempt was brewing in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally Turkey before Friday’s bloody events.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on the United States to extradite US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen.
Tens of thousands marched through the streets in half a dozen Turkish cities late Saturday, waving flags and singing songs in an emotional outpouring of support for the long-time leader as security forces rounded up military personnel it branded coup supporters and launched a purge of judges seen as government opponents.
Yildirim, who was to appear before the crowd but failed, said the country was again fully under government control.
He said soldiers at the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey, used by the US military to conduct air strikes against Islamic State militants in neighboring Syria, had been involved in the coup attempt and that arrests had been made.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s order, issued late Friday, comes as the United States embassy in Ankara on Saturday instructed U.S. government employees to avoid Istanbul’s Ataturk airport due to reports of sporadic gunfire.
Turkey, a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member, is a key partner in USA -led efforts to defeat the Islamic State group, and has allowed American jets to use its Incirlik air base to fly missions against the extremists in nearby Syria and Iraq. Erdogan’s government said Gulen directed the coup all the same.
It advised United States citizens in Turkey “to seek shelter in safe places”, avoid unnecessary travel, and monitor media reports.
Kerry reiterated USA support for Turkey’s democratically elected government, according to the State Department readout, and urged authorities to respect the rule of law and safeguard civilian life as they respond to the coup attempt.
He said the “parallel structure” was behind the coup attempt, his shorthand for followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric whom he has repeatedly accused of trying to foment an uprising in the military, media and judiciary. One of those detained was the commander general of the second army, one of Turkey’s most senior military officials. He said Turkey has been preparing a formal application with detailed information about Gulen’s illegal activities.
Gulen, however, said he condemned “in the strongest terms, the attempted military coup in Turkey” and sharply rejected any responsibility for the attempted coup.
“Not only is the government unstable but the military is also unstable”, Stein said, which could lead to more trouble, more fractures, and increased instability for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member.
The government says 161 civilians and 104 “plotters” were killed in ensuing clashes, and more than 1,440 injured.
“Government should be won through a process of free and fair elections, not force”, Gulen said. The scandal, which was consid- ered to be brought forward by Gulen supporters, put the government in a tight spot at the time.
Turkey is a key partner in US -led efforts to defeat the Islamic State group, and has allowed American jets to use its Incirlik air base to fly missions against the extremists in nearby Syria and Iraq.
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Pouring out into the streets, forces loyal to Turkey’s president quashed a coup attempt in a night and day of explosions, air battles and gunfire.
