Turkey dimisses 149 military generals

Turkey: 149 Turkish generals and admirals representing 40 percent of military personnel in that rank has been dismissed by the order and by decree of the Turkish government as the Turkish Supreme Military Council assembled to choose replacements.

The decree was issued in an official bulletin as the country remained under state of emergency following the July 15 failed coup attempt in Turkey.

According to reports by Turkish news agency Anadolu, the orders was intended to dismiss soldiers who were members of, or have connections to "the Fetullah Gulen terrorist organisation."

Turkish authorities had accused prominent Islamic preacher Gulen who is a critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the failed coup attempt. But Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999 denied the accusations.


The action by the judiciary also affected many military generals who had been in police custody following the failed coup attempt, amid allegations of involvement.

According to reports by Anadolu, 151 of the 358 Turkish military generals and admirals in the Turkish Armed Forces are still in police custody.

The Turkish government decree comes as the Supreme Military Council gathers to decide on promotions in other to replace those dismissed from Turkish military forces.