The U.S. said it was "understandable" and "justified" for the Turkish government to detain more than 6,000 soldiers, 1,481 judiciary members and 210 police officers who are linked to the coup attempt.
The Justice Department and other U.S. agencies are now reviewing the documents and will take action in accordance with a decades-long treaty between the two countries with respect to the extradition of criminals, the White House said on Turkey's demand to extradiate the U.S.-based controversial figure Fethullah Gülen, who is the leader of Gülenist terror organization FETÖ.
"We understand the tremendous stress that the government is going through," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.
He added it was quite normal that Turkey takes actions "to go after the perpetrators to conduct a thorough investigation into what happened".
Toner stated that they also urged democracy in Turkey to continue while it supports "completely the efforts to bring the perpetrators of the coup to justice."
The Turkish presidential press center said in a statement that Obama condemned the attempt to overthrow Turkey's democratically elected government and made it clear the U.S. supports democracy in the country.
The statement also said Obama told Erdoğan the U.S. is ready to cooperate with Turkish institutions investigating the coup attempt.
Erdoğan told Obama the proper punishment would be given to those responsible within the framework of justice and the rule of law.
On July 15, a small military junta linked to the Gülenist Terror Organization (FETÖ) attempted to topple the democratically elected government in Turkey and bring martial law. The attempt was prevented by military troops loyal to the government, along with police units and millions of Turkish citizens in favor of democracy. 208 people, consisting of mostly civilians, have been killed by pro-coup soldiers, while over 1,400 people were injured. Turkey's opposition parties have united against the coup attempt, condemning it in the harshest terms and underscoring their determination to preserve democracy and the rule of law in Turkey.
Turkey took the illegal activities of the Gülen Movement to the international platform in the U.S. last year.
The activities and operations of the Gülen Movement in the U.S. and Turkey have been scrutinized by a number of American media outlets that question the movement's motives, opacity and why the U.S. government is providing refuge to Gülen, who is currently facing numerous charges in his native Turkey, including treason and an extradition request.
