07 August 2016•Update: 08 August 2016
ISTANBUL
The Turkish Armed Forces will be modernized to prioritize homeland defense, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Sunday.
Kurtulmus appeared on CNN Turk TV speaking about latest developments after the defeated coup of July 15.
“The Turkish Armed forces will enter the modernization phase of the restructuring process. So, the only duty of the Turkish Armed Forces will be homeland defense,” Kurtulmus said.
Turkey’s army will only protect the state but the army will no longer be a part of domestic policy, he said.
“Our citizens are at ease with the new regularities. … No one should interfere in the policymakers’ job,” he added.
The coup attempt claimed 240 lives and injured nearly 2,200 others, sending shockwaves throughout Turkey, the region and the world at large.
Ankara has accused U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen for leading the putsch through his followers within the military who formed the Fetullah Terror Organization (FETO).
Gulen is being sought by an Istanbul court to face charges, and Turkey has made an official request to Washington for his extradition.
Gulen is also accused of 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'.
( Reporting by Etem Geylan : Writing by Hatice Kesgin )
