ATAA has announced today that Mr. Kenan Caglar will assume the presidency of ATAA on July 12, 2016, succeeding President Mehmet Toy, Ph.D. who will have completed his two year-term, as specified by ATAA Bylaws, from July 11, 2014 to July 11, 2016. ATAA Board of Directors appointed Mid-Central Region Vice President Mr. Gokhan Ozalp as the the interim Vice President until the next elections are held. Starting on July 11th, Mr. Ozalp will assume Mr. Caglar's responsibilities in ATAA's Executive Committee.
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.
Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made their presence known Sunday on Boston Common, gathering in condemnation of the attempted July 15 coup by a faction of the Turkish military. More than 200 people marched around the park and near the State House, in a show of jubilant solidarity with citizens still protesting on the streets of Turkey, said Ömür Budak, the Turkish consul general in Boston. “The rallies against the coup are still taking place,” Budak said. “We want the message to be known by the New England public that we will never let a coup be successful.”
