More Turkish public officials dismissed for FETO-links

By Fatih Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) – More than 8,000 public officials have been dismissed for suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), Turkey announced Friday.

The Official Gazette published delegated legislation, which dismissed 7,669 police officers, 323 gendarmerie members, 24 central governors and two coast guard command personnel for ties to the July 15 coup attempt.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Aug. 17 said: "40,029 people have been detained and 20,355 remanded in custody, including police officers, soldiers, judiciary members, local administrators, and civilians.”

Yildirim also said 5,187 suspects were still under investigation. So far, nearly 80,000 civil servants have been suspended while a little more than 5,000 have been dismissed, he added.

Turkey's government has said the defeated coup, which left 240 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured, was organized by followers of Fetullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. since 1999, and his FETO network.

Gulen is accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.