Speaking at a conference on Thursday, Gen. Joseph Votel, the head of the U.S. Central Command, which oversees the effort against the Islamic State, said “we’ve certainly had relationships with a lot of Turkish leaders, military leaders in particular”.
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The Akinci airbase, used by rebels during the failed coup on July 15 in Turkey, will be dismantled like other barracks in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Friday.
Pic: ReutersSupporters of U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen living in the Netherlands fear for their safety after dozens of death threats in the wake of a failed coup attempt, a spokeswoman for the community said on Friday.
Turkey has embarked on a major military reshuffle after the putsch, which Ankara blames on US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen and his followers.
People with Turkish flags gather at the 15 July martyrs square in Ankara, Turkey, on Friday, July 29, 2016.
In addition to Indonesia, the Turkish government had called on other countries to shut down schools allegedly linked with the FETO terrorist organization, namely Jordan, Azerbaijan, Somalia and Nigeria. “We appreciate Turkey’s continuing cooperation and look forward to our future partnership in the counter-ISIL fight”, he said, using an acronym for Daesh. Nearly 16,000 Turks have been detained in the post-coup sweep, about half of whom are awaiting trial.
The United States has asked Turkey for evidence of his involvement, and said the US extradition process must take its course.
“Erdogan’s ongoing purge of newspapers, academics, teachers and judges has nothing to do with Turkey’s security and everything to do with blocking any opposition to his increasingly authoritarian rule”, he said in a statement to the Lib Dem voice blog.
Gulen is also accused of running a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.
Erdogan also criticised the European Council and the European Union for their failure to pay a visit to offer condolences, saying their criticism over Turkey’s post-coup measures was “shameful”.
But adding to the complexities in an already sensitive relationship, Incirlik was an important base for the coup plotters and its commander General Bekir Ercan Van was subsequently arrested.
The government crackdown in the coup’s aftermath has strained Turkey’s ties with key allies including the United States.
“Some people give us advice”.
Interior Minister Efkan Ala said more than 18,000 people had been detained over the failed coup, and that 50,000 passports had been canceled. “Know your place”, the Turkish leader said, hinting that USA officials may have supported the coup.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Gen Votel should thank Turkey for securing democracy.
“And if there is even the slightest doubt that the (treatment) is improper, then the consequences will be inevitable”, he told German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
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In Germany, home to Turkey’s biggest overseas diaspora, tens of thousands of Erdogan supporters plan to rally in Cologne on Sunday, following skirmishes between the president’s backers and opponents which have put authorities on edge.
