Turkey sees record number of military dismissals

Eighty-seven land army generals, 30 air force generals and 32 admirals have been dishonourably discharged over their complicity in the failed coup, a Turkish official said, confirming a government decree.

Turkey declared a state of emergency following the violent coup attempt that led to 290 deaths, and embarked on a large-scale clampdown on people suspected of ties to USA -based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the government accuses of masterminding the coup.

Islamic opposition figurehead Fethullah Gulen could have left the United States for a number of countries, except Egypt, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told CNN Turk television channel on Thursday.

The hastily-convened meeting came after the government ordered the discharge of 149 generals – almost half of the armed forces’ entire contingent of 358 – for alleged complicity in the putsch bid.

Yeni Şafak’s July 25 front-page headline read: “This man led the coup”, next to a photograph of the veteran armyman.

On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency in Turkey for three months.

Also to be shut are the Zaman newspaper and its Today’s Zaman English language sister publication which, like Cihan, were part of a holding linked to Gulen until being put into state administration earlier this year.

Washington insists that Turkey provide “concrete evidence” directly implicating Gulen as a precondition to his extradition. He is seeking to extradite him from the U.S.to stand trial in Turkey.

Foreign Minister Cavusoglu told broadcaster CNN Turk that some prosecutors with links to Gulen had fled to Germany and he urged Berlin to extradite them.

Last week, Minister of Foreign Affairs Stéphane Dion said Canada had rebuffed the Turkish government’s requests for information on the Gulen movement in Canada.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel became the latest Western leader on Thursday to urge restraint, while underlining Turkey’s need to take action against the rebels.

Before the military council meeting, the prime minister and top brass visited the Ankara mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, modern Turkey’s founder, where they vowed to overcome all security threats.

Prime minister Binali Yildirim said: “The investigation is continuing – there are people who are being searched for”.

Meanwhile, two of Turkey’s top generals resigned ahead of a key military meeting expected to agree on a personnel shake-up after the failed coup, local media reported.

Late Wednesday, the government issued a decree that transferred control of the paramilitary police force and the coast guard from the military to the government’s Interior Ministry. His comments suggested that elements of the military launched the coup attempt because they knew they were about to be purged.