Wednesday, 27 July 2016

Turkey coup attempt: Nearly 9,000 soldiers joined plot - army

Turk Dozens 

Turkey says 8,651 members, or 1.5%, of the nation's armed forces took part in the failed coup on 15 July.

Military officials also revealed that the plotters had 35 planes, 37 helicopters, 74 tanks and three ships.

Meanwhile, detention warrants have been issued for 47 journalists as part of a crackdown that has already resulted in detentions of nearly 16,000 people.

The government says US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the army-led attempted coup - a claim he denies.

At least 246 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured in clashes during the abortive coup.

Torture claims

In a statement on Wednesday, the Turkish military's General Staff said that "a total of 8,651 military personnel took part in the coup attempt".

It added that 1,676 non-commissioned officers and soldiers, as well as 1,214 military students, joined the plotters.

Separately, the authorities ordered the detention of another 47 journalists - just several days after similar warrants were issued for 42 reporters.

Those on the new list were mostly members of the now defunct Zaman newspaper, Turkish officials were quoted as saying by local media.

The authorities ordered the closure of several media outlets soon after the attempted coup.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to purge state bodies of the "virus" he says caused the revolt.

He launched a widespread crackdown, arresting thousands of service personnel and sacking or suspending thousands of judges, government officials, school teachers and university heads.

Human rights group Amnesty International says it has received credible evidence of detainees being subjected to beatings and torture, including rape, since the coup attempt.

Last week, Turkey declared a three-month state of emergency, allowing the president and the government to bypass parliament when drafting new laws and to restrict or suspend rights and freedoms.

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