Turkish Admiral Seeking Asylum in US - Reuters

A Turkish military officer has sought asylum in the United States following July's failed coup attempt in his homeland, Reuters has reported, citing US officials.

The report is the first known case of a Turkish military officers applying for asylum in the country after the failed coup, as Turkey has removed thousands of soldiers from its armed forces over involvement or complicity to the attempt.

The man, working at the headquarters of NATO's Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia, was recalled by the government.

While Reuters does not officially name the military officer, it quotes an official at the Turkish Embassy to Washington as saying Turkish Navy Rear Admiral Mustafa Uğurlu had failed to report to authorities.

Trend News Agency, citing Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency's Turkish-language service, officially names the man as Rear Admiral Mustafa Zeki Uğurlu.

Turkish officials have said as many as 16 000 people were detained over suspicions of their involvement in the July 15 developments. On Wednesday, authorities announced 112 businesspeople had been detained over their alleged links to Gülen, whose movement Anakara refers to as a terrorist organization called FETÖ.

The news about the admiral's asylum request comes amid tensions between Turkey and the United States over a request from Ankara that US-based cleric Fethullah Gülen should be extradited.

Turkey blames Gülen for being behind the coup attempt.