Spotlight: Turkey dismisses 1,389 pro-coup soldiers in military overhaul

A total of 1,389 pro-coup soldiers including President Erdogan's military aide were discharged from Turkish Armed Forces, the state Official Gazette announced on Sunday.

According to state-run Anadolu Agency, the discharged personnel include Col. Ali Yazici, former aide to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan; Lt. Col. Levent Turkkan, former aide to Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar.

Out of the total 1,389 names dismissed, 1,196 serve in Turkey's gendarmerie forces.

Under the statutory decree, Turkey's land, naval and air forces are now directly answerable to the Defense Ministry.

In addition, Deputy Prime Ministers and justice, foreign and interior ministers will also be included to the Supreme Military Council (YAS).

The decree also closes all of Turkey's war academies, military high schools that train non-commissioned officers, which will be replaced by a new university called the National Defense University under the Defense Ministry.

Meanwhile, the decree assigns Ankara's Gulhane Military Medical Academy and military hospitals across Turkey under the Health Ministry.

The new dismissals follow a previous post-coup expulsion of 1,684 military personnel, including 149 generals and admirals.

A total of 8,651 soldiers took part in the failed coup attempt of July 15, making up 1.5 percent of the military's total personnel, the Turkish General Staff announced. Endit