The dishonorable discharges included around 40 percent of Turkey’s admirals and generals.
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The government decree comes as the Supreme Military Council convenes to decide on promotions in order to replace those dismissed from Turkish military forces.
Turkish authorities have detained, suspended or placed under investigation tens of thousands of teachers, police, journalists and other people since the July 15-16 putsch over suspected links to Gulen.
Almost 16,000 people were detained over alleged links to the uprising, about half of whom were formally arrested to face trial.
Turkey accuses USA -based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen of masterminding the coup and has suspended or placed under investigation tens of thousands of his suspected followers, including soldiers, judges and academics.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also criticized the comments, saying the jailed officers are “not the only ones with the capacity to fight” the Islamic State group. It has issued 89 arrest warrants for journalists, 17 of whom are already in custody.
Also to be shut are the Zaman newspaper and its Today’s Zaman English language sister publication which, like Cihan, were part of a holding linked to Gulen until being put into state administration earlier this year.
The government said on Wednesday it had ordered the closure of three news agencies, 16 television channels, 45 newspapers, 15 magazines and 29 publishers.
Turkey has said it will formally ask the United States to extradite Gulen, who has denied involvement.
Turkey says the radical measures are needed to eradicate what Erdogan describes as the “virus” of Gulen’s influence across all Turkish institutions. The United States has told Turkey to present evidence against him and let the US extradition process take its course.
Political turbulence following the attempted coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his subsequent crackdown on dissent is “something to be very, very concerned about”, General Joseph Votel, the head of U.S. Central Command, said Thursday at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. And this principle of proportionality must be respected under all circumstances.
Before the military council meeting, the prime minister and top brass visited the Ankara mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, modern Turkey’s founder, where they vowed to overcome all security threats.
“We will surely eliminate all terror organizations that target our state, our nation and the indivisible unity of our country”, Yildirim said in televised remarks at the mausoleum.
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The military Council meeting was originally scheduled for the first week of August but was brought forward following the coup attempt.
