Turkey: U.s. Protecting Cleric Accused Of Coup Plot

ISTANBUL -- 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. U.S.