ANKARA (Sputnik) — Another 1,218 Turkish gendarmerie personnel have been dismissed as part of ongoing investigations into the July coup attempt, the country's Interior Ministry announced on Thursday.
According to the statement, 419 mid-level officers, 604 junior officers, 158 sergeants, 28 privates and 9 civil servants of the gendarmerie have been removed from their posts.
On July 15, a military coup attempt took place in Turkey. It was suppressed the following day. Over 240 people were killed during the coup attempt and an estimated 2,000 were wounded. Ankara has accused Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has been living in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1999, and his followers of playing a key role in the coup. Gulen has condemned the coup and denied the allegations.
According to the Turkish Justice Ministry, a total of 32,000 military officers, high-ranking civil servants, judges and teachers suspected of being Gulen supporters have been arrested. A further 110,000 have been fired or suspended from their positions in the aftermath of the attempted coup.
