Erdogan has declared Turkey in ‘state of emergency’ for the next three months.
Turkey has been a member of the NATO since 1952 and one of America’s most important allies in the region, especially during the Cold War.
America has always committed to keeping Turkey in the NATO alliance, emphasizing on its membership’s importance towards defending Europe from the Middle East and Russia, highlighting its presence as a stabilizer in the Syria and Iraq conflicts.
In recent years, Turkey has more so ascended to the top of the ‘threats’ list constantly implementing pro-Islam policies and succumbing to Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authoritarian administration.
Despite Incirlik remaining Nato’s largest nuclear weapons facility, after the attempted coup backlash, NATO is openly discussing excluding Turkey from the alliance for the first time. Erdogan’s consecutive power-horse tantrums have resulted to the death of 240 of soldiers and civilians caught amidst the riots, with rumours of the coups being staged by Erdogan on the up. Turkey’s central religious office announced on Tuesday that military officers who died in the coup attempt will not be given religious services at their funerals; a grave deprivation of dignity for a Muslim. Istanbul’s Mayor Kadir Topbas, has vowed to create a ‘Graveyard for traitors’ in the outskirts of the city for people to visit and curse the coup plotters.
“I ordered a space to be saved and [for it to be called] … ‘the graveyard for traitors’,” he told a group of pro-government protesters in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. “Everyone visiting the place will curse them and they won’t be able to rest in their graves.”
Meanwhile, over 120 generals and admirals, including 9,000 civilians have been detained by national security services, facing conspiracy accusations. Most importantly, more than 17,000 teachers, administrators, social workers and university deans were suspended over claims they support Fethullah Gulen, Anadolu reports, with the crackdown expanding to the laying off of hundreds of people working in government positions and with the religious affairs office.
Fetullah Gulen has officially been accused by Erdogan as the instigator of the coup. The US-based cleric who has been in self-imposed exile for two decades has denied the accusations. And has urged the US government not to grand Turkeys demands for his extradition.
Gulen, who has been advocating for a moderate Islam and cross-religion policies has inspired and funded an international network of schools, including more than 160 public charter schools in the United States, which have won grants from the federal government. White House press secretary Josh Earnest hasn’t confirmed if Turkey’s reports include Gulen’s extradition request.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in his Tuesday parliament speech likened Gulen’s followers to a “parallel terrorist organization.”
“We will dig them up by their roots so that no clandestine terrorist organization will have the nerve to betray our blessed people again,” he said specifically.
At the same time, Erdogan’s decisions are instilling even more hate among the people as an announcement has been urging civilians to report on people they know who have expressed sympathetic feelings towards Gulen.
As part of the crackdown the Turkish government on Tuesday has cancelled the licences for a number of radio and television channels whose reports had been critical of Mr Erdogan and his actions, or have been associated with Gulen, even via showing support to charity and schools funded by his movement.
Erdogan loyalists are supporting the nationwide purge even if it means Turkey’s expulsion from NATO and wiping all possibilities of the country entering the EU.
To top it off, Erdogan promised to approve the reinstatement of the death penalty for the coup leaders if the parliament passes the measure. At this point more than 35,000 have been accused of orchestrating last Friday’s coup attempt, and could therefore potentially face capital punishment.