FETO Turkey's Daesh, says Deputy PM

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), believed by the Turkish government to be behind July 15 defeated coup, is Turkey's Daesh, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Tuesday.

"FETO is an organization which is no different from Daesh. We can even say that Turkey's Daesh is actually this organization," Kurtulmus told the 9th meeting of the Eurasian Islamic Council in Istanbul.

He went on to say that FETO not only abused the religious sensitivities of the Turkish nation for many years, but also proved that it could "ruthlessly use weapons" against the people.

"The whole world saw how FETO used fighter jets, tanks, rifles and bombs on the evening of July 15 to slaughter our people," he said.

The July 15 coup attempt martyred over 240 people and injured more than 2,100, leading to a nationwide probe to eliminate FETO sleeper cells which had infiltrated state institutions, including the judiciary and army.

Fetullah Gulen, who the Turkish government says heads FETO, has been living in Pennsylvania, U.S. since 1999.