Turkey Detains 45 Military Pilots On Coup-related Charges

The media has reported that
Turkey has again detained 45
air force pilots on charges
connected to the July military
coup.

The report, published on
Thursday in Istanbul, said 28
other pilots are being sought.
It said the warrants of
detention for the pilots
comprising 71 lieutenants and
two colonels, were issued by a
prosecutor in the central Konya
province.

The report said that since the
coup attempt in July by a
faction in the military, the
Turkish government had
arrested more than 30,000
people.

Tens of thousands of public
sector employees had also been
dismissed, while thousands of
army officers including high-
ranking generals had been
fired.

Metin Gurcan, a Turkish
military analyst, said that after
the first wave of dismissals, the
number of active pilots in the
country had dropped from
about 600 to just over 300,
reports dpa.

He said the new set of
detentions would further
decrease the number.
Gurcan said Turkey now have
more warplanes than pilots.

“Turkey is carrying out
airstrikes in both Syria and
Iraq, largely against Kurdish
militants. It has also hit the
Islamic State,’’ he said.

The government blames the
coup attempt on Fethullah
Gulen, a Turkish preacher
based in the United States.
Gulen, who was once a long-
time ally of Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan until
they split a few years ago,
denies the charges.