No person in his right mind believes that the radical leftist President Obama would support a coup against his Islamist pal, President Erdogan.
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The base has become a key hub for US forces after Turkey in 2015 agreed to allow the United States to use Incirlik to carry out lethal raids against jihadists in Syria.
Turkey has also requested the extradition from Greece of eight military officers who flew there in a Turkish military helicopter to claim political asylum as the coup began to unravel. CNN Turkey said pro-coup soldiers stormed their studio, forcing an end to their broadcast for several hours during the height of the unrest.
But Washington on Saturday warned citizens against travel to the country, suspending flights and banning all airlines from flying to the United States from Turkey due to uncertainty after the coup bid.
Although he didn’t outline any threat, Erdogan’s emphasis on U.S.
Operations at the base were stopped Saturday after the Turkish government closed its airspace to military aircraft and commercial power to the facility was cut off, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in an email.
But Gulen has categorically denied any involvement in the plot and suggested it could have been staged by Erdogan himself.
US President Barack Obama stressed the “vital need” for all parties to “act within the rule of law”.
He told reporters in the U.S. that he did not believe democracy could be maintained through military action or violence.
“We haven’t received any request with respect to Mr Gulen”, Kerry told reporters.
“We would invite the government of Turkey, as we always do, to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny”.
In a televised speech, Erdogan called on the United States to extradite Gulen.
The 75-year-old Gulen was once a close Erdogan ally but the two fell out in recent years as the Turkish president became suspicious of Gulen’s movement, Hizmet, and its powerful presence in Turkish society, including in the media, police, and judiciary.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s survival has turned him into a “sort of a mythical figure” and could further erode democracy in Turkey, said Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish research program at The Washington Institute.
Also, Gulen said that Turkey is going through hard times, and that people are experiencing significant levels of discomfort.
And now Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has survived a military coup – a boast many of his predecessors ousted in previous army takeovers can not share.
Fethullah Gulen (FEH’-too-lah goo-LEN’), who lives in Pennsylvania, denies any involvement and has condemned the coup attempt.
Turkey is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance between the United States, Canada and most European nations.
“In brief, I don’t even know who my followers are”, the frail-looking cleric said through an interpreter.
Security forces on Sunday rounded up 52 more military officers for alleged coup links.
She denounced attacks carried out by tanks and warplanes that targeted parliament, government units, and civilian protesters. He said 2,839 soldiers were arrested.
Soldiers involved in a coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge on July 16, 2016, in Istanbul, Turkey.
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“If you’re planning a coup, you don’t exactly advertise to your partners in NATO”, Kerry said. “So it surprised everyone. It does not appear to be a very brilliantly planned or executed event”.
