Turkey dismisses scores of intelligence officers

In the latest move in its modern history's biggest purge, Turkey dismissed 87 officers from its National Intelligence Organization (MIT) on Tuesday as part of its post-coup investigations.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – In the latest move in its modern history's biggest purge, Turkey dismissed 87 officers from its National Intelligence Organization (MIT) on Tuesday as part of its post-coup investigations.

Turkish authorities accused the officers of having ties to or working for the Gulen Movement and having a role in the failed July 15 military coup attempt.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the government hold the Gulen Movement, a transnational Islamic organization headed by the US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, and its alleged sympathizers within the Army responsible for the coup attempt.

The purge within Turkey’s National Intelligence circles comes after the dismissal of thousands of soldiers.

The dismissed included 112 generals, hundreds of prosecutors and judges including members of the Constitutional Court, and tens of thousands of public workers ranging from teachers, doctors, and imams.

The state-run Anadolu news agency said the MIT also filed complaints to a chief public prosecutor against 52 of the dismissed officers.

MIT, whose main headquarters in Ankara came under intensive fire from putschists’ helicopters on the night of July 15, had already laid off more than 140 of its officers, still under investigation, shortly after the coup attempt.

Hakan Fidan is the Chief of the MIT and a former non-commissioned army officer who Erdogan once described as “my box of secrets.”

He was given the label after a prosecutor wanted to arrest him in 2012 for his involvement in the 2009 secret meetings with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) representatives in the Norwegian capital of Oslo.

MIT was the interlocutor in the name of the Turkish Government during peace talks with the PKK that were enshrined in the declaration of a ceasefire and preparations for a roadmap on March 21, 2013.

Then Prime Minister Erdogan and his government later blamed the prosecutor who went after Fidan of taking orders from the Gulen Movement.

The movement's affiliates in the police, judiciary, army and the media were openly opposing a peace deal with the Kurdish rebellion.

In the last two months, President Erdogan and the pro-government media claimed Gulenist officers within the army and police were collaborating with the PKK during the 2015-2016 urban warfare.

The violence occurred in a dozen Kurdish cities that cost hundreds of lives including those of civilians.

The coup-plotters who identified themselves as “the Peace at Home Council,” read an announcement live on the official state TV, TRT.

They accused Erdogan and the government of treason, wrong decisions, and consequent failures in combatting terrorism.

 

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany