ISTANBUL - Turkey has been pressing hard on the U.S. to hand over an exiled Turkish cleric for his alleged role in the failed coup plot that roiled the country ten days ago, further straining the soured ties between the two allies.
Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin fired the latest salvo of harsh demands on Monday by writing in The New York Times to present "testimony and evidence" obtained from coup plotters that are pointing to Fetullah Gulen and request his extradition once again for being behind the overthrow bid.
The Turkish government has confirmed that the failed bid was organized by followers of Gulen, who is accused of running a campaign through his Gulen Movement to topple the government by means of infiltrating Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, to form a "parallel state."
More than 2,300 institutions or entities administered by the Gulen Movement have been shut down in a widening crackdown launched in the wake of the coup attempt, which left at least 246 people dead and 2,186 others injured.
In addition, more than 13,000 suspects have been detained over the coup, mostly from the military, police and judiciary.
Both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim have called for Gulen's extradition, with the premier even declaring that "any country that stands behind Fethullah Gulen is not our friend." (Xinhua)