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Turkey Dismisses 10,000 Civil Servants


Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan salutes the crowd of supporters in his hometown of Rize, on the Black Sea coast of Turkey, Oct. 15, 2016.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan salutes the crowd of supporters in his hometown of Rize, on the Black Sea coast of Turkey, Oct. 15, 2016.

Turkey has dismissed more than 10,000 civil servants as the government continues its crackdown following a failed coup in July.

News of the removal of the academics, teachers and health workers was published late Saturday.

Turkey has already ousted more than 80,000 civil servants and arrested more than 30,000 in connection with the coup.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly accused cleric Fethullah Gulen of being behind the coup attempt that left at least 270 people dead.

The 75-year-old Gulen has been living in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999 and denies any involvement in the coup attempt. Turkey wants him extradited.

U.S. President Barack Obama told Erdogan at a G-20 summit earlier this year that Washington is prepared to offer any support necessary to investigate the coup and bring those responsible to justice. But U.S. officials have said any extraditions would have to be approved by the U.S. court system.

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