Saniye Calkin, who heads the Netherlands-based Hizmet organisation of Gulen supporters, said members were keeping out of sight after dozens of reports of death threats, arson, vandalism, and physical assaults in Dutch towns and cities.
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Turkey has suspended or removed more than 60,000 people from jobs in the military, security services, judiciary, Finance Ministry, academia and media since the failed coup left more than 250 dead. The extent of Turkey’s crackdown has raised concerns among its Western allies.
“You may be aware that the government of Turkey started to investigate those responsible for the coup attempt”. He cited the situation at the Incirlik military base in southern Turkey, which hosts about 1,500 American military personnel and aircraft – as well as European troops – where power was cut off for several days after the putsch.
In a seperate development, a parliamentary official said on Thursday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants the armed forces and the national intelligence agency brought under the control of the presidency. The U.S. has told Turkey to present evidence against Gulen and let the U.S. extradition process take its course. The government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with his office’s regulations, said the revocations were a precaution against the flight risk of possible terror suspects.
In March, about 600 of the 700 USA military families in Turkey were evacuated.
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.
Cook echoed Votel’s comments, saying the key point is that “we have excellent military-to-military cooperation, have had for some time with the Turkish military”.
The Turkish government said Friday that Washington has it backwards when it suggests ongoing purges of the military is harming military cooperation against “Islamic State” (“IS”).
Turkey has blamed the attempt on a faction within the military loyal to the Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the USA state of Pennsylvania but has a wide following in Turkey.
“Instead of thanking this country which repelled a coup attempt, you take the side of the coup plotters”.
“It is really clear that the Gulen Movement is behind the coup”.
The real plot to subvert the Turkish republic – the only one that seems to be succeeding – is Erdogan’s own assault on the country’s democracy.
“We need to make a distinction between those who cooperate with those who carried out the coup, those who supported it, and the real journalists”, he said.
At the Aspen forum on Thursday, Votel made reference to the loss of contacts with many high-ranking Turkish officers since some were now behind bars.
“I can see now that I gave them too much credit”.
United States intelligence chiefs have warned purges in Turkey are harming the fight against ISIS, after Turkish President Erdogan jailed some of the country’s best officers.
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Clapper, asked about the impact of events in Turkey on the fight against ISIS, replied: “It’s having an effect, because it’s affected all segments of the national security apparatus in Turkey”.
