Turkey: 1,000+ soldiers out over FETO links in 9 months

By Sarp Ozer

ANKARA (AA) - Some 1,164 military personnel have been sacked for their suspected links to FETO, the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, since Turkey lifted its two-year-old state of emergency on July 18, 2018, according to security sources.

Some 601 land forces personnel, 188 naval forces personnel, and 375 air forces personnel have been dismissed, and 106 retired soldiers stripped of their ranks, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Investigations continue into personnel who may be affiliated with the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in command, headquarters, and other institutions of the National Defense Ministry, the sources added.

FETO and its U.S.- based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 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.

*Writing by Busra Nur Bilgic