U.S. Army General John F. Campbell and guest arrive on the red carpet for the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner in Washington in April. Gen. Campbell, now retired has been accused by a Turkish newspaper of masterminding the July 15 attempted coup, a claim he dismisses as ?ridiculous.? Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
ISTANBUL—A retired American general on Monday dismissed as “absolutely ridiculous” allegations made by a Turkish newspaper that he orchestrated the country’s botched July 15 military coup. John Campbell, a retired four-star general who oversaw the U.S.-led military coalition in Afghanistan until May, told The Wall Street Journal that the story “doesn’t even warrant a response.” “It’s absolutely ridiculous,” Mr. Campbell said of the front-page article in Yeni Safak, a pro-government Turkish newspaper.
The U.S. mansion of Fetullah Gulen, who is held responsible for July 15 coup attempt, was purchased in 2005 by a Turkish businessman, according to the head of appointed trustee of Kaynak Holding. Kaynak Holding has been accused of harboring links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) led by Gulen, who has lived in a self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999. Board Chairman of the company Imran Okumus told Anadolu Agency Wednesday that the company was FETO’s largest source of financing in Turkey.
The retired U.S. Army general and former NATO commander accused of masterminding the recent failed coup in Turkey has an alibi -- he was having a beer with Fox News Channel's Geraldo Rivera. Yeni Safak, a Turkish tabloid known as friendly to the increasingly authoritarian regime in Ankara, hit newsstands Monday with a front-page blaring in Turkish "This man led the coup," alongside a picture of U.S. Army Gen. J.F. Campbell. It was news to Campbell, who retired in May after a distinguished, 37-year career that saw him most recently serve in both the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Campbell served as commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force from August 2014 to earlier this year.
A top Turkish official on Friday accused the United States of "standing up for savages" by not immediately handing over a U.S.-based Muslim cleric who the government claims orchestrated last week's failed coup. Speaking in Washington, President Barack Obama said there was a legal process for extradition and encouraged Turkey to present evidence. In a sign of increasing tension, Turkey said it was dispatching its justice and interior ministers to the United States next week to push for the extradition of the cleric, Fethullah Gulen. The two NATO countries are allies in the fight against the Islamic State group; American military jets have been flying missions against extremists in Iraq and Syria out of the Turkish air base at Incirlik.
