Turkish prime minister says attempted coup underway, calls for calm

Citizens surged the streets of Turkey on Saturday after supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan successfully quelled an overnight coup attempt that left more than 265 dead.

The authorities blamed Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric who is Erdogan’s arch enemy, for the plot and lost no time in rounding up 2,839 soldiers over alleged involvement, amid global alarm over the extent of the retribution. Turkey’s renewed offensive against Kurdish militants – who seek more autonomy and are implacable foes of IS – has complicated the USA -led fight against IS.

“We stand with Turkey, a strong partner and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally, as it recovers from these unsettling events”.

“I’m confident there will be some discussion about that”, Kerry added.

In a televised speech Saturday night, Erdogan called on the U.S.to extradite Gulen. Turkey has always been expected to request his extradition from the United States.

“We haven’t received any request with respect to Mr. Gulen”, Kerry said.

“The situation is completely under control”, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said outside his Ankara offices, flanked by Turkey’s top general who had himself been taken hostage by the plotters.

The government is urging anyone in the country trying to leave to contact their travel agent and airline, and has consular officials at Turkish airports to help.

The United States, emphasizing the importance of its alliance with Turkey’s current leadership, expressed support for the democratically elected government as the violence unfolded.

Suleyman Soylu, Turkey’s labor minister, went further than Erdogan, suggesting the US was behind the coup.

TRT and CNN Turk were both temporarily shut down by the coup plotters, who announced that they were attempting to takeover the government in the name of democracy and human rights.

Describing the attempted coup as a “black stain” on Turkey’s democracy, Yildirim said 161 people had been killed in the night of violence and 1,440 wounded. Erdogan said after arriving in Istanbul as his forces were regaining control of the country early Saturday that “Turkey can not be governed from Pennsylvania”.

Visiting Luxembourg, Kerry said Turkey would have to prove the wrongdoing of Gulen, who left Turkey in 1999. Anadolu reported that the extradition file was to be sent to Turkey’s Justice Ministry on Thursday.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says there’s no indication any Australians were injured in the thwarted military coup in Turkey.

So who does he consider most responsible?

“We have requested his extradition from the United States”. Gulen reportedly goes out rarely, and has ailments that include heart disease and diabetes.

At a news briefing Saturday in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, the cleric noted that he has been away from Turkey for more than 15 years and would not have returned if the coup had succeeded. His followers were heavily represented in the police and justice systems. Erdogan was on vacation when this action as taken by some in the military.

When he began to clash with Erdogan’s push for more authority in 2013, a power struggle ensued.

After a brief return to Turkey following a stay at the Mayo Clinic, Gulen has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since the late 1990s.

Although Gulen lives on a secluded compound in Pennsylvania, he has maintained influence in Turkey through followers in the judiciary and police.

“It is deeply disappointing to see what has become of Turkey in the last few years”, Gulen wrote in 2015.