Turkish leaders allege that supporters of a USA -based cleric, Fethullah Gulen, infiltrated state agencies and groomed loyalists in a vast network of private schools as part of an elaborate, long-term plan to take over the country.
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Turkey plans to dismantle the special presidential guard, he added.
The extent of the closures underlines the sizable nature of the network of influential educational establishments, charitable institutions and other associations built up by followers of the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen in the last thirty years.
The commanders, including air force chief Gen. Abidin Unal, were removed by helicopter and later released when the coup attempt collapsed, according to Turkish media reports.
USA officials said Friday that electric power was restored to the Incirlik base, which had been operating on a backup generator since July 16, when power was shut off at all military bases in Turkey following the failed coup.
“Some European colleagues think this is a Pokemon game, this coup attempt”, said Omer Celik Turkey’s minister for EU affairs.
Turkey has imposed a three-month state of emergency and detained or dismissed tens of thousands of people in the military, the judiciary, the education system and other institutions. The latest to be detained are 283 members of the presidential guard, which numbers 2,500 men.
Amnesty International has said Mr Erdogan is going “well beyond what might be considered a legitimate response to the coup attempt”.
Yildirim criticized the United States for failing to hand over the cleric, a former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s most dominant political figure for more than a decade.
Yildirim added that 13,002 people had been detained. Gulen, who now resides in the USA, has denied the accusation.
The Turkish leader has said the state of emergency will allow the authorities to restore order and deal with the aftermath of the failed coup effectively.
He said he told that to Erdogan in a phone conversation this week.
US Secretary of State John Kerry had sought concrete proof against Gulen from Turkey before any extradition proceeding could be initiated by the US government. Erdogan’s spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, has previously said Turkey is preparing a formal extradition but that Gulen “can easily be extradited on grounds of suspicion”.
He was referring to Erdogan’s statement that he would consider calls for the reintroduction of the death penalty for use against the coup plotters.
President Obama has firmly denied Turkish allegations and demanded evidence of Mr Gulen’s involvement in the attempted putsch, but this is unlikely to dispel Turkish suspicions.
Kalin also said Turkey’s detention period, which was increased to 30 days, was similar to a 28-day detention period in the United Kingdom.
Diplomats and most citizens who don’t work for the government are not affected by the travel restriction.
Erdogan has said the new powers granted by the state of emergency will counter threats to Turkish democracy, though critics are urging restraint because they fear the measures will violate basic freedoms.
Prosecutors said Turkey had set free 1,200 soldiers, all privates, detained in Ankara after the military coup, as authorities were seeking to swiftly sort out those who had fired on the people from those who did not.
After the coup, Western countries pledged support for democracy in Turkey, a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally and an important partner in the fight against Islamic State, but have also expressed concern over the scale of the subsequent purges of state institutions.
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US-based Gulen has been accused of masterminding last week’s coup, in which 246 people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured.
