Turkey’s top military commanders will decide Thursday on one of the most radical shake-ups in the history of the country’s armed forces, as authorities shut down dozens of media outlets in a widening crackdown after a failed coup.
The government ordered the closure of a total of 131 newspapers, TV channels and other media outlets as well as the discharge of 149 generals — nearly half the armed forces’ entire contingent of 358 — for complicity in the putsch bid.
The July 15 rebellion, which saw plotters bomb Ankara from war planes and wreak havoc with tanks on the streets of Istanbul in a bid to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has sparked a backlash affecting all aspects of Turkish life.
So far almost 16,000 people have been detained in a crackdown — the magnitude of which had caused international alarm.
The hastily convened meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAS) in Ankara will bring together Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and the land, sea and air force commanders, along with other top figures untarnished by the attempted power grab.
Eighty-seven land army generals, 30 air force generals, and 32 admirals have been dishonourably discharged over their complicity, a Turkish official said, confirming a government decree.
In addition, 1,099 officers and 436 junior officers have received a dishonourable discharge, according to the decree
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