(CNN) Declaring his government firmly in control, a defiant Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday demanded the United States arrest or extradite an exiled Islamic cleric he blames for a coup attempt that ended with nearly 200 people dead.

The cleric, Fethullah Gulen, living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, suggested that overthrow and assassination attempts have been staged in the past though he did not directly accuse Erdogan of deliberately plunging Turkey into chaos.

The upheaval exposes deep discontent within the military ranks. But less than 24 hours after a night of violence, questions remained about who was behind it and why they decided to act now.

The ramifications of the coup attempt on the political system of a NATO ally and partner in the U.S. fight against ISIS also remain unclear.

Erdogan's call for U.S. involvement in punishing his rival comes after Turkish authorities closed the airspace around Turkey's Incirlik Air Base, where his government allows the American military to launch operations in the air campaign against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

"This country suffered a lot in the hands of the Gulen Movement," Erdogan told throngs of supporters near his home in Istanbul.

"I call on the United States and President Barack Obama ... (to) either arrest Fethullah Gulen or return him to Turkey," he added. "If we are strategic partners or model partners, do what is necessary."

Latest example of Turkey's deteriorating stability

Gulen, a reclusive figure who leads a popular movement called Hizmet, said anyone could have masterminded the coup attempt: nationalists, the opposition. He denied any involvement.

"It could be anything," Gulen told journalists through a translator.

"I have been away from Turkey for 16 years," he said.

Whoever was responsible, the uprising is the latest worrying example of deteriorating stability in a country once promoted to the wider Muslim world as a model of democratic governance and economic prosperity.

Some 14 years after Erdogan's political party swept to power in elections, Turkey teeters on the brink.

At the heart of Erdogan's rivalry with Gulen is a fundamental division in Turkish society between secularists -- some within the country's top military brass -- and Islamists, including the president's AKP party.

Thousands of military officers have been arrested, including the commander of Turkey's 2nd Army, Gen. Adem Huduti.

On Saturday, the Pentagon said U.S. officials were working with Turkey to resume air operations at Incirlik Air Base.

"In the meantime, U.S. Central Command is adjusting flight operations in the counter-ISIL campaign to minimize any effects on the campaign," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said.

Clothes and weapons beloging to soldiers involved in the coup attempt lie on the ground abandoned on Bosphorus Bridge.

Key air base closed

For now, American airstrike missions from the base have been halted. Turkish officials told the United States the airspace has been closed until they can make sure all Turkish air force elements are in the hands of government forces, a U.S. defense official told CNN on Saturday.

Still, a small number of U.S. planes on missions before the airspace closed were allowed to land at Incirlik, the official said.

Earlier, the U.S. consulate in Adana reported that power to the base had been cut and authorities prevented movement on and off the site.

Cook said U.S. facilities were operating on internal power and the power shutdown did not affect base operations. Defense department personnel in the area were "safe and secure," he said.

The base is home to the Turkish Air Force and the U.S. Air Force's 39th Air Base Wing, which includes about 1,500 American personnel, according to the base website.

Uprising 'under control'

Before cheering supporters on Saturday, Erdogan affirmed his control.

"You know how you went out in to the squares?" he asked. "That's what ruined their plot. And for the next week we need to continue this solidarity, we must keep up these meetings."

The country's institutions were "back at work," he said.

"There are a lot of generals and colonels that were detained but those who want to set the Turkish people and the Turkish military against each other, let us not fall prey to their plot."

Chaos erupted the night before when military tanks rolled onto the streets of Ankara and Istanbul and soldiers blocked the famous Bosphorus Bridge.

Turkey's attempted coup: By the numbers • At least 161 people killed • 2,839 military officers were detained • At least 1,140 people wounded • 1 airfield still under military faction's control • At least 200 soldiers turned themselves in to police in Ankara • 11 years: Erdogan's reign as Prime Minister • 2014: Year that Erdogan ran for President -- and won

The military's claim of a takeover was read on state broadcaster TRT. The anchor said the military imposed martial law.

The military said it wanted to maintain democratic order and that the government had "lost all legitimacy."

But the coup attempt lost momentum after Erdogan returned from vacation at the seaside resort of Marmaris. By the time he re-emerged after hours of silence, dozens had died.

The prime minister's officer said at least 161 civilians and at least 20 coup plotters were killed.

Of the nearly 200 deaths, most were police officers killed in a gun battle with a helicopter near the Parliament complex in Ankara, NTV reported. The building was damaged. Another 1,140 people were wounded.

At least 2,839 military officers were detained, a source in the President's office said. The Ankara chief public prosecutor's office took nearly 200 top Turkish court officials into custody, Anatolian News Agency reported Saturday.

The officials include 140 members of the Supreme Court and 48 members of the Council of State, one of Turkey's three high courts.

8 seek asylum in Greece

A Turkish helicopter carrying eight men landed in Greece Saturday and the men aboard requested political asylum, Greek government spokeswoman Olga Gerovasili said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in a tweet requested "the immediate surrender of eight heinous soldiers."

But Greece will not necessarily return the alleged coup plotters, the Greek foreign minister said Saturday in a statement.

The asylum request "will be examined based on the provisions of Greek and international law," Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said.

Cavusoglu and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke Saturday evening, according to State Department spokesman John Kirby.

Kerry gave his support to the Turkish government and said the United States backs Turkey in taking measures to protect its civilians.

The U.S. statement also said, "Secretary Kerry also urged restraint by the Turkish government and respect for due process -- and its international obligations -- as it investigates and uncovers additional information about those involved. He made clear that the United States would be willing to provide assistance to Turkish authorities conducting this investigation, but that public insinuations or claims about any role by the United States in the failed coup attempt are utterly false and harmful to our bilateral relations."

Witnesses described hours of chaos in Turkey overnight, including explosions, gunfire and low-flying jets.

Bombs struck the Parliament building in Ankara. A helicopter allegedly stolen by coup plotters was shot down by an F-16.

Turkish people look at a burned car in Istanbul on Saturday.

The surrender

Shortly after dawn, however, video footage showed soldiers surrendering. Hundreds turned themselves in to police in Ankara, Turkish state media reported.

They walked away from tanks and abandoned their posts on the Bosphorus Bridge connecting the European and Asian sides of Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines resumed flights out of Istanbul Ataturk Airport, which had been overrun by protesters. However, U.S.-based airlines are prohibited by the Federal Aviation Administration from flying to Ataturk or Esenboga International Airport in Ankara.

The U.S. State Department issued a travel warning on Saturday telling Americans to reconsider trips to Turkey at this time and urging those that did visit the country to "stay vigilant" and "avoid large crowds."

A Turkish police officer embracea a man on a tank after the military position was taken over at the Anatolian side at Uskudar in Istanbul on Saturday.

Erdogan was elected Prime Minister in 2003. Under his rule, Turkey became a powerhouse in the Middle East. His reign came to an end in 2014, and his own party's rules prevented him from seeking a fourth term.

Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a crowd gathered at his palace for Iftar -- the meal eaten after sunset during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan -- in Ankara, Turkey, on Monday, June 27. Hide Caption 1 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks on CNN Turk via a FaceTime call in Istanbul on Friday, July 15, after members of the country's military attempted to overthrow the government. Hide Caption 2 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan, his wife Emine, his grandchildren and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Kadir Topbas, left, greet the crowd at a presidential election rally in Istanbul on August 3, 2014. Hide Caption 3 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Erdogan during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on December 7, 2009. Hide Caption 4 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan oversees the rescue efforts in the eastern province of Bingol on May 1, 2003, following a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that rocked the Turkish region. Hide Caption 5 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Erdogan wear helmets in Durusu village near Turkey's northern city of Samsun, on November 17, 2005, during the inauguration ceremony for the major trans-Black Sea gas pipeline Blue Stream. The pipeline runs from Russia to Turkey. Hide Caption 6 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan addresses the media after a meeting with his deputies at his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) headquarters in Ankara, Turkey, on May 1, 2007. Erdogan unveiled a reform package, including having future presidents elected by popular vote instead of by parliament. Hide Caption 7 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan, gives a David Beckham signed soccer ball to a Turkish boy during at a garden party held for her birthday at the British Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, on May 16, 2008. It was the Queen's first visit to Turkey in 37 years. Hide Caption 8 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan attends a swearing in ceremony in Ankara, Turkey, on August 28, 2014. Erdogan was sworn in as Turkey's 12th president at a ceremony in parliament, cementing his position as the country's most powerful modern leader. Hide Caption 9 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan leaves a polling booth after casting his vote in Turkey's 26th general election at a polling station in Istanbul on November 1, 2015. Hide Caption 10 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Romanian President Klaus Werner Iohannis, right, and Erdogan walk together during an official welcoming ceremony at the presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday, March 23. Hide Caption 11 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan delivers a speech during his visit to the Turkish War Colleges Command in Istanbul on Monday, March 28. Hide Caption 12 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan, right, kicks a soccer ball while Former Turkish President Abdullah Gul watches at Besiktas soccer club's new Vodafone Arena on its opening day in Istanbul on Sunday, April 10. Hide Caption 13 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan, right, shakes hands with King Salman of Saudi Arabia after the Saudi monarch received Turkey's highest state medal during a ceremony at the presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday, April 12. Hide Caption 14 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan, center, chairs the meeting of the 65th Cabinet of Turkey at the presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday, May 25. Hide Caption 15 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan, seventh from the left, attends the Kinaliada Corvette Ceremony at Pendik Naval Shipyard in Istanbul on Saturday, June 18. Hide Caption 16 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan, right, attends an Iftar dinner during his visit to the Tank Battalion campus in the Cizre district of Sirnak, Turkey, on Saturday, June 25. Hide Caption 17 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan From left, U.S. President Barack Obama, France's President Francois Hollande, Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel take their positions for a photo ahead of a working dinner at the presidential palace during the NATO Summit in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday, July 8. Hide Caption 18 of 19 Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and former Turkish president Abdullah Gul pray during the funeral of a victim of the coup attempt in Istanbul on July 17. In an interview with CNN's Beckey Anderson Erdogan said, "The people now have the idea, after so many terrorist incidents that these terrorists should be killed, that's where they are, they don't see any other outcome to it. I mean, life sentence, or aggravated life sentence... why should I keep them and feed them in prisons, for years to come, that's what the people say. So, they want a swift end to it, because people lost relatives, lost neighbours, lost children, 8-year-olds, 15-year-olds, 20-year-old young people, unfortunately have all been killed during these incidents. Of course they have parents, mothers and fathers, that are morning, they're suffering so the people are very sensitive and we have to act very sensibly and sensitively." Hide Caption 19 of 19

He ran for president -- and won. Before Erdogan, the presidency of Turkey was a largely ceremonial role, but he tried to change that by altering the constitution to give him more power.