Baku-APA. Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and land, air and naval commanders have remained in post, presidential spokesman İbrahim Kalın has announced after a five-hour Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) meeting, which came after a major shift in the military following a failed coup attempt on July 15, APA reports quoting Daily News.
Land Force Commander Gen. Salih Zeki Çolak, Air Force Commander Gen. Abidin Ünal, Naval Forces Commander Adm. Bülent BostanoÄŸlu and Fleet Commander Veysel Kösele also remained in post.
Çolak, Ünal and Kösele were all taken hostage by the coup attempters during the July 15 failed takeover.
The commander of the 1st army Gen. Ümit Dündar was appointed as deputy Chief of General Staff.
Gen. Musa Avsever was appointed as 1st Army Commander.
Akar will remain in their position during an upcoming “transition process,” PresidentRecep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan had said on July 22.
The National Intelligence Agency (MÄ°T) and the Chief of General Staff could be tied to the presidency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan reportedly said, Turkish broadcaster CNN Türk cited parliamentary sources as saying July 28.
ErdoÄŸan reportedly made the remarks during Parliamentary Speaker Ä°smail Kahraman and the members for the Bureau of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey’s visit to the Presidential Palace.
MÄ°T and the Turkish General Staff are currently under the prime ministry’s control.
A total of 1,684 soldiers, including 149 generals and admirals, were discharged from the Turkish Armed Forces over alleged links to the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ) after the coup attempt, only one day before the YAÅž meeting.
The annual YAÅž meetings help shape the future of the military with appointments, promotions and reshuffles.
The recent discharge decision was part of new regulations, published late on July 27 in the Official Gazette and came as part of Turkey’s three-month state of emergency which allows the government to issue such decrees.
Those dismissed included arrested former Chief of Air Staff Akın Öztürk, who is allegedly among the organizers of the coup attempt, and 2nd Army Commander Gen. Adem Huduti, along with lieutenant generals Yıldırım Güvenç, Ä°lhan Talu, Salim Ulusoy, and major generals Mehmet DiÅŸli and Kubilay Selçuk.
Some 87 generals, 726 military officers and 256 non-commissioned officers were discharged from the land forces, according to the decree.
Some 32 admirals, 59 military officials and 63 non-commissioned officers were discharged from the naval forces while 30 generals, 314 military officers and 117 non-commissioned officers were discharged from the Air Force.
According to decree, the regulation discharging all the personnel in question will come into effect on July 29.
The number of dismissed generals adds up to more than 42 percent of all 358 generals in the Turkish military.
Some 30 generals are still detained.
The Turkish General Staff announced earlier on July 27 that a total of 8,651 soldiers had taken part in the failed coup attempt of July 15, making up 1.5 percent of the military’s total personnel.
Describing the coup attempt as an “attempt by FETÖ terrorists in military uniforms,” the General Staff said 1,676 of the soldiers were rank and files while 1,214 were military students.
It also added that 35 planes, including 24 fighter jets, 37 helicopters, 74 tanks, 246 armored vehicles and three ships, were used in the coup attempt, while 3,992 light weapons were used by soldiers.
Interior Minister Efkan Ala has said a total of 15,846 people from the security forces, including 10,012 soldiers, have been detained as a part of the investigation into the coup attempt.
With the July 27 decree, the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Commands were also brought under the control of the Interior Ministry.
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