“Any reporting that I had anything to do with the recent unsuccessful coup attempt in Turkey is unfortunate and completely inaccurate”, Votel said.
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Ninety-nine colonels have been promoted to generals and admirals, although Chief of staff General Hulusi Akar – who was held hostage during the coup attempt – stayed in his post along with the heads of the navy, land and air forces.
Turkey has said that it is preparing a request for Gulen’s extradition from the United States but Washington has not confirmed the receipt of a formal request, which should include evidence of the guilt of the cleric.
The clampdown targets those suspected of ties to U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the government accuses of masterminding the plot.
Turkey implemented a shake-up of the military on Thursday after almost half of its 358 generals were sacked for complicity in the coup.
In a late-night news conference Thursday, Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin announced that Turkey’s military would retain continuity in its top leadership positions after the coup attempt. Senior U.S. leaders, including President Barack Obama, have spoken with their Turkish counterparts in the last two weeks since the coup attempt.
Gulen, 75, has also rejected any involvement in the attempted coup. Tens of thousands of people have been dismissed from their jobs, detained or arrested in the purges, which has affected the judiciary, the police, the military and the education system, among other sectors.
“We are in receipt of some material, the Justice Department is still analyzing that material”, State Department spokesman John Kirby said during a press briefing in response to a question by Anadolu Agency.
As a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation partner, it would be common for Turkey’s military officers to participate in exchanges with colleagues in the US and Europe and take part in joint exercises and missions.
Earlier this year, authorities said over 2,000 people were being prosecuted on charges of insulting the president.
“I am concerned about what the impact is on those relationships as we continue”, he said.
Lingering “friction” in Turkey is already affecting some of the coalition’s current operations, Votel said.
When Anadolu Agency asked Kirby whether the USA shared in that regard similar concerns with Turkey, he said he has no information one way or the other about it.
The president also lashed out at an American military official who expressed concern that the failed coup may have longer-term effects on the U.S.-led fight against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.
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Information for this article was contributed by Benjamin Harvey of Bloomberg News.
