UPDATE – 'Turkish military grew stronger in wake of 2016 defeated coup'

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS FROM TURKISH DEFENSE MINISTER

By Handan Kazanci

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Turkish military has only gotten stronger as it rid itself of rogue elements linked to the 2016 defeated coup, said Turkey's national defense minister on Tuesday.

“The successes achieved in Turkey’s domestic and cross-border operations and the ever-growing number of large [military] exercises after July 15 are the clearest indications that we are getting stronger as we get rid of FETO,” Hulusi Akar told a symposium in Istanbul marking five years since the coup bid, carried out by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

A total of 23,364 people have been dismissed from the Turkish military as part of the fight against FETO terrorists, he said.

During the defeated coup, Akar was the chief of General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces. He was named the national defense minister in 2018.

Akar said the Turkish military is becoming much stronger as it is purged of the “treacherous, vile FETO members.”

Turkey has “never allowed any traitor to wear the glorious uniform of the Turkish Armed Forces, nor will we ever,” he added.

Following the defeated coup, the Turkish Land Forces have carried out 176 large-scale operations, Akar said, adding with the 10 major operations carried out in Syria and Iraq, large areas were cleared of terrorist groups and turned into safe zones.

The Turkish Naval Forces’ operational training activities have also risen more than 50% in the last five years, and in 2020 their time at sea reached an all-time high of 200,000 hours, he added.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

- Regional developments

On Libya, Akar said that the Turkish army successfully carries out the military training, aid, and consultancy activities in the country with which Turkey has historic ties.

“Our aim is to contribute to the formation of a Libya that has ensured its territorial integrity and political unity, and lives in peace and stability, with an understanding that Libya belongs to the Libyans,” Akar added.

On the latest developments in Afghanistan, Akar said: “Our intention here is clear and purely for the safety and well-being of our Afghan brothers and sisters.”

He said that Turkey continues negotiations within the framework drawn by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to provide technical support for the operation of the Kabul airport, which is of great importance for all of Afghanistan.

The situation in Afghanistan heated up after US President Joe Biden announced that all US forces will withdraw from the war-torn country by Sept. 11, with NATO allies doing the same.

Biden and his Turkish counterpart Erdogan discussed the issue at a recent NATO leaders’ summit in Brussels.

Ankara has been running the military and logistic operations of the Kabul airport for six years as part of the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission.

Turkey, whose forces in Afghanistan have always been noncombatants, has reportedly offered to guard the airport amid questions over how security will be assured along major transport routes and at the airport, which is the main gateway to the capital.

Ismail H. Turunc, head of July 15 Association, Hilmi Turkmen, mayor of Istanbul’s Uskudar district, and Erol Ozvar, rector of Istanbul’s Marmara University also addressed the symposium.