Turkey’s armed forces face deep purge in wake of coup

Turkey’s top brass and political leaders were set to launch a sweeping purge of the armed forces on Thursday after a failed military coup that has shaken the nation of nearly 80 million people and alarmed its Nato allies. Hours before the Supreme Military Council began its annual meeting in Ankara, the armed forces dishonourably discharged nearly 1,700 personnel for their alleged role in the July 15-16 putsch in which a faction of the armed forces tried to topple President Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan, who narrowly escaped capture and possible death on the night of the coup, said in an interview last week that the military, Nato’s second biggest, needed “fresh blood”. The dishonourable discharges included around 40 per cent of Turkey’s admirals and generals. Turkey accuses US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen of masterminding the coup and has suspended or placed under investigation tens of thousands of his suspected followers, including soldiers, judges and academics. Turkey fires 25,000 teachers, professors and others in huge purge of ‘coup plotters’ In the aftermath of the coup, media outlets, schools and universities have also been closed down. Citing intelligence reports, Turkey’s justice minister said on Thursday that Gulen, once a powerful ally of Erdogan, could flee his residence in the US state of Pennsylvania. Gulen denies any involvement in the coup. Western governments and human rights groups have condemned the coup, in which at least 246 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured, but have also expressed concern over the scale and depth of the purges, fearing that Erdogan may be using them to get rid of opponents and tighten his grip on power. Even before the failed coup, Turkey was struggling with major security challenges including attacks by Kurdish militants and Islamic State, a grim reality underscored by tourism data on Thursday showing a 40 per cent fall in foreign visitors in June. Turkey’s attempted putsch cements the position of its divisive leader Turmoil in Turkey’s armed forces raises questions about its ability to contain the Islamic State threat in neighbouring Syria and the renewed Kurdish insurgency in its southeast, military analysts say. Among the nearly 1,700 military personnel discharged were 149 generals and admirals, a Turkish government official said late on Wednesday. Two four-star generals from the land forces also resigned, broadcaster CNN Turk reported, without giving a reason. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said the military council decisions would be announced later on Thursday and take immediate effect. The Islamist-rooted AK Party, founded by Erdogan and in power since 2002, has long had testy relations with the military, which for decades saw itself as the ultimate guardian of Turkey’s secular order and the legacy of the nation’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The military has ousted four governments in the past 60 years. ‘We are in control’: Turkish President Erdogan insists attempted coup has failed However, Erdogan says the armed forces have been infiltrated in recent years by Gulen’s supporters. “The army has to stop being the army of the Fethullah Gulen terrorist organisation,” Justice Minister Bozdag said. In a symbolic sign of how civilian authorities are now firmly in charge, Thursday’s military council meeting was held at the office of Prime Minister Binali Yildirim rather than General Staff headquarters. Yildirim accompanied senior military officers to pay respects at Ataturk’s mausoleum in Ankara ahead of the meeting. “We will surely eliminate all terror organisations that target our state, our nation and the indivisible unity of our country,” Yildirim said in televised remarks at the mausoleum. Changes since the coup include bringing the gendarmerie, which is responsible for security in rural areas, and the coast guard firmly under interior ministry control rather than under General Staff control. CNN Turk has reported that more than 15,000 people, including around 10,000 soldiers have been detained so far over the coup, citing the interior minister. Of those, more than 8,000 were formally arrested pending trial, it said. Turkish authorities to shut down dozens of media outlets as crackdown after failed coup continues As the purge pressed ahead, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his ministry had dismissed 88 employees. The government said on Wednesday it had ordered the closure of three news agencies, 16 television channels, 45 newspapers, 15 magazines and 29 publishers. This announcement followed the shutting of other media outlets and detention of journalists with suspected Gulenist ties. This month’s events have exacerbated Turkey’s difficult relations with the United States. Washington has responded cautiously to Ankara’s request to extradite Gulen, saying it must provide clear evidence of his involvement in the coup plot.

Turkey’s armed forces face deep purge in wake of coup

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Nearly 1,700 personnel which includes 40 per cent of Turkey’s admirals and generals were dishonourably discharged for their alleged role in the July 15-16 putsch

Nearly 1,700 personnel which includes 40 per cent of Turkey’s admirals and generals were dishonourably discharged for their alleged role in the July 15-16 putsch