Over 9,000 FETO-linked military personnel sacked so far

By Fecri Barlik and Muhammed Boztepe

ANKARA (AA) - A total of 9,239 personnel have been dismissed, so far, in the fight against the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), according to the Turkish military Friday.

In a statement, Turkish Armed Forces said 5,999 personnel were currently in custody for links to FETO.

Earlier Friday, Turkey dismissed 262 personnel, including 48 military personnel, from various institutions with a new statutory decree under the ongoing state of emergency.

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

Ankara 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.

Also, the military “neutralized” 7,016 terrorists -- 3,239 PKK/KCK and 3,777 Daesh -- in 2017, destroying 1,958 shelters, caves and depots used by the terrorists.

The KCK is the transnational political umbrella of the PKK/PYD terrorist group.

Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.

In the 399 air-backed operations in Turkey and northern Iraq, 2,701 PKK terrorists, including 48 so-called leaders, were neutralized, it said.

PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU.

Some 439,195 people were held trying to illegally cross the borders of Turkey during border patrol.

The military seized over 54 tons of narcotic drugs in various forms and 26,483 opiate drugs, the statement added.

In order to prevent the establishment of a terrorist passage in Syria and to create a lasting secure environment, 197 Turkish soldiers were martyred and 766 were injured.