UPDATE - '3,000 FETO terrorist infiltration of military exposed'

UPDATE WITH MORE QUOTES FROM CANIKLI

By Meltem Ozturk

ANKARA (AA) – A structured infiltration of the Turkish military by 3,000 suspected members of FETO -- the group behind the 2016 defeated coup -- has been exposed, Turkey’s defense minister said on Wednesday.

Speaking to lawmakers in parliament, Nurettin Canikli said that these suspected members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) would be dismissed from the military through statutory decree in the days to come.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

The defeated coup was spearheaded by rogue members of the military, thousands of whom have since been dismissed to face trial on terrorism-related charges.

“This struggle will continue until the whole structure of the organization is exposed and its crypto structure uncovered,” Canikli said.

Canikli’s comments came during a parliamentary session on extending the ongoing state of emergency in Turkey for three more months.

He added that the state of emergency was necessary to fight FETO effectively.

On Wednesday, the Turkish parliament ratified a Prime Ministry motion extending the ongoing state of emergency in Turkey for three months.