Turkey’s top commander takes 15-day medical leave

Turkish Chief of Staff Gen Necdet Özel.

Turkish Chief of Staff Gen. Necdet Özel has taken a medical leave of 15 days, military sources have told daily Hürriyet.

The situation came out when Gen. Özel did not appear at the General Staff Headquarters on May 9 at a time
there are rumors of a military intervention in Syria. 

The sources said Gen. Özel will be away for 15 days due to a medical problem, but did not elaborate. During that time, Gen. Özel will not go to the headquarters and Turkish Land Forces Commander Gen Hulusi Akar will be the acting chief of general staff. 

There are rumors that Gen. Özel would undergo a small operation during his medical leave, however, the military sources did not confirm this information. 

Gen. Özel’s medical leave comes amid rumors of an intervention in the Syrian crisis. However, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu strictly denied the rumors, first voiced by a senior main opposition figure.