Turkey’s interest in getting ahold of cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is living in exile in the United States, has taken some increasingly odd forms in recent years. A delegation of US officials were even reportedly brought into Turkey to attend an interrogation of people suspected of ties to Gulen.



These detainees were accused of being involved int he 2016 failed coup attempt in Turkey. The Erdogan government has blamed Gulen for the coup attempt, though the cleric has denied any involvement.



Though indications are that the detainees died not provide much, and some refused to answer questions outright, this was clearly done for the benefit of the US delegation. During questioning, the delegation were given photos and other audio that supported the Turkish narrative.



Since the coup, Turkey has demanded the US hand over Gulen, though the Obama Administration insisted that they were not provided with evidence to warrant this. Turkey is still keen of getting him, however, and President Trump has assured them he is “working on” that.





Author: Jason Ditz Jason Ditz is news editor of Antiwar.com. View all posts by Jason Ditz