US Delegation to Travel to Turkey For Gulen's Extradition Talks

A group of four US officials will travel to Turkey on August 22 to hold talks about the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, a US-based Islamic cleric, whom Ankara accuses of masterminding the July 15 failed coup in the country, local media reported Sunday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the Turkish Hurriyet newspaper, the delegation will be composed of three US officials from the Justice Ministry and one official from the US State Department. They will meet with their Turkish counterparts on August 23-24 to discuss the coup attempt and the cleric's extradition, the media outlet added.

The Turkish Justice Ministry officials are said to have finished their preparations for the visit, during which they are expected to share with US officials the extradition-related papers and evidence concerning the alleged direct involvement of Gulen in the plot.

On July 15, the Turkish authorities said that an attempted coup was taking place in the country. The Turkish government said that Gulen who, Ankara believes, is seeking to overthrow the current government was allegedly linked to the thwarted coup. Gulen is currently living in the US city of Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania.

Earlier this month, Turkey officially asked the United States for Gulen’s extradition. Ankara said that it had collected the necessary materials for the extradition of Gulen even before the coup, and later processed and supplemented them.