Network of followers Mr Erdogan blames a network of followers of the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen for Friday night’s attempted coup, as soldiers commandeered fighter jets, military helicopters and tanks.
Advertisement
“We also urge the government of Turkey to uphold the highest standards of respect for the nation’s democratic institutions”, US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters after talks with European Union foreign ministers.
“I’m sorry but this parallel terrorist organisation will no longer be an effective pawn for any country”, Mr Yildirim said, according to Reuters.
“We see mass arrest or detentions and mass firings of people from positions of employment in a very rapid period [of] time without a lot of evidence having been presented for those actions, that creates concerns”, he said.
Mr Erdogan has accused Gulen of being responsible for the coup, which has led to at least 265 deaths.
Gulen has strongly denied links to the coup.
In a televised address on Wednesday, Erdogan said the decision was made following a meeting with members of the national security council.
On his call with Erdogan on Tuesday, Obama pledged US assistance in Turkey’s investigation into the attempted coup, but stressed to the Turkish leader the need to follow democratic processes in carrying it out, the White House said.
Turkish officials say that almost 8,000 police officers have been suspended, reportedly on suspicion of having links to the coup attempt.
He said the nationwide measure would allow Turkey to be cleared of “terrorists” linked to US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom the president accuses of masterminding the failed coup from his leafy compound in Pennsylvania.
“It is ridiculous, irresponsible and false to suggest I had anything to do with the horrific failed coup”, he said.
Reports vary, but the crackdown in Turkey appears to be widespread across professional fields, as the government seeks to root out opposition and more fully determine the perpetrators of last weekend’s coup attempt.
In his televised address, Erdogan also tried to reassure the public that military powers will not be expanded, adding that Turkey would emerge as a “stronger nation” following the coup attempt.
Advertisement
Which is why the coup plotters could credibly claim they were trying to stop Erdogan from becoming an all-out dictator.
