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1st LD: Turkish acting army chief says 104 coup plotters killed, 1,563 soldiers detained

Xinhua, July 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

Turkey's acting army chief Gen. Umit Dundar said Saturday that 104 coup plotters have been killed and 1,563 soldiers detained.

"We're determined to cleanse the army of a parallel structure," the chief said in a televised speech soon after he was promoted from the rank of 1st Army Commander to replace Gen. Hulusi Akar, who was taken hostage in the coup attempt that swept the country on Friday night but was later rescued.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had earlier blamed the coup on the movement led by Turkey's Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen now living in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.

Ankara has been accusing the movement of running a parallel state and trying to topple the Turkish government.

Earlier on Saturday, the state-run news agency Anadolu reported the death toll in the military coup attempt has risen to 90, including 41 police, with 1,154 wounded.

At least 700 unarmed soldiers at the Turkish military headquarters have surrendered, the report said. Endit