Turkey seeks 30,000 new soldiers after post-coup crackdown

ISTANBUL

Turkey is seeking to recruit more than 30,000 new personnel to fill shortfalls after thousands were kicked out of the army in the wake of the failed July 15 coup attempt.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said the armed forces were aiming to recruit 30,159 personnel in order to meet needs in the aftermath of the post-coup dismissals.

This would include 1,322 officers, 3,547 non-commissioned officers, 7,159 trained soldiers, and 11,907 contracted soldiers, according to the news report.

Tens of thousands of people have either been detained or sacked in the wake of the July 15 coup attempt, widely believed to have been masterminded by the U.S.-based Islamic preacher. Around 9,300 army personnel have been arrested, including 118 generals and admirals, while thousands more have been discharged dishonorably or suspended.

Turkish authorities have repeatedly insisted that the crackdown in the army after the coup bid has not affected its operations, referring to the launch of the Syria incursion just over a month after the failed coup.

But analysts have said that the effect on the military has been severe, with a shortage of pilots particularly acute.

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said in an interview in August that Turkey was in need of military pilots and this is “not something that can be done in a day.”  

Separately, a total of 3,181 police, who were suspended over their suspected links to the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) with a state of emergency decree law, have returned to their duties.
 
A sum of 2,205 police officers were dismissed over their links to the Gülenists.