Military rejects claims of Alevi discrimination

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

A file photo released by Turkish Armed Forces shows fighter jets. AA Photo

The claim of a main opposition party figure that Alevi military personnel have been subject to discriminatory moves has been denied by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), which claimed there was no discrimination in the army based on ethnicity or religion.

“These claims are baseless and incorrect,” said the TSK in its weekly news bulletin issued on Monday. The claim was made by Atilla Kart, a senior member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), who said around 700 personnel of the Air Forces Command had been victims of discrimination.

The TSK’s statement made no further comment on Kart’s claim. However, the bulletin did also announce another first for the TSK, as it invited representatives from a number of ministries and other government offices to its “Joint Wargaming Day,” which took place in Istanbul’s War Academy on May 20.

The army also said that although the Gülhane Military Medical Academy had the necessary medical infrastructure to detect the use of chemical and biological weapons on human beings and to treat them adequately, there were no wounded individuals coming from Syria at the hospital.