Turkey dismisses thousands more post-coup bid

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey has dismissed thousands more at government-run institutions nationwide in wake of the July 15 coup attempt, according to the official gazette Wednesday.

The statutory decree mentioned in the gazette, which comes under Turkey's current three-month state of emergency, affects personnel said to be members or linked to the Fetullah Terror Organization.

The gazette revealed that 196 personnel had been dismissed from civil service; 112 personnel from the Turkish Armed Forces; 24 personnel from the Turkish Coast Guard Command and 2,360 personnel from the Police Headquarters.

According to the statuary decree, suspects who cheated in the civil service recruitment exam, also known as KPSS, in Turkey in 2010 will be discharged from their posts, while others who cleared the exam on merit would be protected.

In March 2015, police detained scores of people as part of its probe into the KPSS cheating scandal. In May 2016, an Ankara court remanded in custody 82 out of the 88 suspects linked to the case.

Following the defeated coup, around 26,000 people were been arrested across Turkey. Senior business figures as well as military, police, judges, prosecutors and teachers were among those held.

At least 240 people were martyred in the coup attempt, which the government has said was organized by the followers of Fetullah Gulen, founder of Fetullah Terror Organization.

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