Originally appeared at A-specto, translated by Borislav exclusively for SouthFront
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signed a decree which states that all armed forces are placed under the direct authority of the president and the prime minister of Turkey. So far the Turkish army acted only on the orders of the General Staff. The new decree was signed with a date of 31, July, 2016. The information is from the Associated Press.
The decree also announces the arrest of the 1389 military personnel, associated with the failed coup attempt. Among those arrested is Erdogan’s chief military adviser.
On July 15/16 an unsuccessful coup was made in Turkey, organized according to the authorities version by officers associated with the Islamic preacher Futhullah Gulen. The unsuccessful putsch took 290 casualties on both sides, and over 1,400 people were injured. The failed coup gave rise to a large-scale repression against the army and government administration, in which over 10,000 people were arrested and a huge number have been fired. The main opposition media were closed, including the newspaper “Zaman” which is sympathetic to Gulen.
On July 28th, the Supreme Military Council of the Turkish army was held for the first time under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, which is a sign for the military that Erdogan will deprive them of their special role in society. In the Kemalist Republic, the army is a pillar of constitutional order, a role that has motivated military coups four times (1960, 1971., 1980. And 1997).
The Turkish army has 600,000 men under their banners and the second in strength ground troops in NATO. “Until now, the chief of the General Staff of the army could afford to make critical comments on political life in Turkey, something that will be lacking in the future,” said the French expert on Turkey prof. Jean Marku.
Lunatic.