Posted on 02/22/2010 11:04:22 AM PST by Mount Athos
Turkish police detained about 50 military commanders Monday for allegedly planning to blow up mosques in order to trigger a military takeover and overthrow the Islamic-rooted government.
The nationwide sweep highlighted the ongoing struggle between the secular establishment and the Islamic-oriented government - and left many wondering if the military no longer called the shots in a nation accustomed to viewing it as the pillar of the secular state.
The detention of 49 senior military officers, according to CNN-Turk television - including members of the elite class known as "Pashas," a title of respect harking back to Ottoman times - proved, at the very least, that such officials are no longer untouchable.
Turkey's secular military has ousted four governments since 1960, demonstrating its influence and place of power since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk created the republic from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire.
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc on Monday expressed regret over the 1961 hanging by coup leaders of a prime minister and two of his ministers. But he said that those days are over and that Turkey now was going through a normalization process.
"We could not even dream about things that we see happening now," Arinc told CNN-Turk television Monday. "Things will get better when those who were never accountable for their deeds begin to account for them."
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declined to comment Monday on the raids, saying they had been carried out on prosecutors' orders.
"It would not be appropriate for me to talk about an issue that is already handled by the judiciary," Erdogan said during a visit to Madrid.
Police teams raided the suspects' homes in eight cities on Monday.
The military's image had already been tarnished by allegations it was secretly planning to depose Erdogan's elected government for undermining secularism in this predominantly Muslim country.
The commanders detained Monday are reportedly accused of seeking to plant bombs at mosques to stir chaos at home to pave the way for a coup. They are also accused of allegedly conspiring to plan shooting down a Turkish warplane to trigger armed conflict with Greece in a bid to destabilize the Turkish government. The military strongly denied the allegations.
On Sunday Erdogan said his government was preserving the rule of law, and had not given "a chance to those who tried to fly a course for Turkey outside law."
Several high-ranking members of Turkey's military were among those detained, including ex-deputy chief Gen. Ergin Saygun, former Air Force chief Gen. Ibrahim Firtina and Navy Chief Adm. Ozden Ornek. Several other senior admirals and generals were also among the suspects.
So far, prosecutors have charged more than 400 people in the case, including soldiers, academics, journalists and politicians.
No one has yet been convicted.
The detentions Monday followed the gathering of wiretap evidence and the discovery of secret weapons caches - revelations that dealt a blow to the military's credibility.
Erdogan also has dramatically curtailed the military's power, under EU pressure, and reinforced civilian rule while bolstering democratic institutions.
Darn, sounded like a good plan
wow *ping*
Too good - it may have been the lefty’s favorite trick - a purge just to cement the Islamo-fascist grip.
Smells like a Moslem “reichstag fire” ...
So these Islamic officers were prepared to blow up Islamic holy sites and then blame it on Christians and/or others so they could take over the government?
WOW.
No doubt our crack Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is right on top of this..........
Well, maybe not.
Note to self: Turkish police prefer sedans.
;-)
No, The military wants to preserve the secular government and is opposed to an Islamic republic..............
To me, the charges are so far fetched I conclude it is a Stalin like purging of the Turkish military by the Muzzie fundamentalists backing the current government.
Stinks to high heavens. Blow up mosques? Why? If they wanted to stage a coup, just do it. Generally speaking your average Turk highly respects the military.
“So these Islamic officers were prepared to blow up Islamic holy sites and then blame it on Christians and/or others so they could take over the government?”
No. What we have is, I think, just the opposite. The senior military is secular, pro-Western and very anti Islamic-state. This is a purge by the current elected leaders [very Islamic, anti-West] against those who oppose their turning Turkey into an Islamic-law country. Bad news for US interests in the region.
Bingo! The Turkish military is the biggest threat to the creation of an Islamofacist state. Kemal Ataturk knew what he was about.
“No doubt our crack Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is right on top of this..........”
On top of and Hillary in the same sentence is illegal in 23 states...
Yes, but that military leadership, as well as it’s other secular allies, has just been purged.
As another poster noted, this is Turkey’s “Reichstag Fire.” As with all purges, the charges have been fabricated, the ringleaders will be executed, and the totalitarian state will assume full political control. In this case, it will be Iran, Jr.
I particularly remember this, although the exact timeframe escapes me. The secular segment of Turkey had for decades been sensitive to the rise of muslim extremism and infiltration, specially among the military.
Their worst fears were well-founded, and the military is all that stood between a free secular Turkey and another muslim hell-hole.
Here's what I remember...
"Everybody must know that the Turkish armed forces will not tolerate the use of the opportunities of democracy by the enemies of the system, as a means to dynamite the basic principles of our state...”
retiring Chief of Staff General Huseyin Kivrikoglu, Turkey*
Looks like the military's vigilance was slowly infiltrated.
*Hüseyin Kıvrıkoğlu (born 1934) is a Turkish general, who became the 23rd Commander of the Turkish Armed Forces on August 28, 1998 for a four-year term. He also served as Chief of the Turkish General Staff and was succeeded by General Hilmi Özkök.
EU and NATO will not like this..................
Next to islam, the European Union is the greatest danger to the free secular world.
It is a joke to talk about "reinforcing civilian rule" when, under islam, no such rule is possible by definition!
I doubt it. It sounds more like an Islamist purge of the nationalist military on the grounds of an alleged plot. Stalin would be proud.
Note that the word “constitution” does not appear in the story. Good old AP.
The Turkish constitution not only permits but requires the military to overthwow governments which threaten secularism.
I would take the “blowing up mosques” part with a big grain of salt.
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