Courtesy of Mish.
The consolidation of supreme power to Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan continues unabated.
Erdogan seeks presidential (personal) control of the army while directly accusing the US of taking sides with coup participants.
In the rumor mill category, an unnamed US lieutenant general was allegedly directly involved in plotting the coup from the Incirlik airbase in Turkey.
Erdogan Accuses US General of “Taking Side of Plotters”
The BBC reports Erdogan Says US General ‘Taking Side of Plotters’.
Turkey’s president has blasted remarks by top US general Joseph Votel in the wake of the failed coup, accusing him of being “on the side of the plotters”.
Gen Votel, head of US Central Command, said jailing some military leaders could damage Turkish-American military co-operation.
President Erdogan condemned the comments, saying: “It’s not up to you to make that decision. Who are you? Know your place! You are taking the side of coup plotters instead of thanking this state for defeating the coup attempt.”
He added: “They [the critics] say, ‘We worry for [Turkey’s] future’. But what are these gentlemen worried about? Whether the numbers of detained and arrested will increase? If they are guilty, they will increase.”
50,000 Passports Cancelled
The BBC article notes “More than 66,000 public sector workers have been dismissed from their posts and 50,000 passports cancelled, while the labour ministry is investigating 1,300 of its staff. The state has also shut 142 media outlets and detained several journalists.”
Anyone whose passport was cancelled is likely to spend the rest of their life in prison, assuming of course they are not quickly executed.
Erdogan Seeks Personal Control of Army
