The coup began late on July 15 in Turkey, when a faction of the Turkish military blocked Istanbul’s Bosphorus Bridge and strafed the headquarters of the Turkish intelligence agency and parliament in the capital.
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Turkish officials say they have handed over documents to US officials concerning Gulen.
Binali Yildirim has said that Turkey could not compromise with the United States over its request for the extradition of Gulen.
“Improving our relations with the United States depends on the extradition of Gulen, and on that issue there is no room for negotiation”, Yildirim said, according to CNN Turk.
USA officials have said that the United States has a formal process for dealing with extradition requests and that Turkey must provide solid evidence of Gulen’s involvement. Washington has been cautious, saying it needs clear evidence and a U.S. Department of Justice team is expected in Turkey later this month.
More than 240 people were killed and almost 2200 injured in the violent coup attempt by Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO) led by Gülen.
Maintaining Ankara’s criticism of the Muslim cleric who denies any involvement in the putsch, Yildirim said on Saturday that Gulen ran an exclusive communication channel with 50,000 using it. He has been one of the Obama administration’s key interlocutors with Turkey’s government, speaking frequently with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Kurtulmus said that those who are determined by authorities to have used the stolen answers to become public servants will also be dismissed. Tens of thousands more have been suspended from their jobs.
“Even if the shock absorber of a vehicle breaks down, they say someone with [the Gulenists] has done this”.
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That response has infuriated Ankara, which accuses the West of showing more concern about the purges than the coup itself.
