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Erdogan says Gulen a pawn backed by a 'mastermind'
[DAWN] The US-based Moslem holy man Fethullah Gulen blamed by ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... for orchestrating a failed coup this month is a pawn backed by a "criminal mastermind", President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday, hinting that greater powers were behind the attempted putsch. Erdogan often refers to a "criminal mastermind" in his speeches, a reference widely seen as an allusion to the West in general and the United States more specifically. The holy man, Fethullah Gulen, who has lived in the self-imposed exile in the United States for years, has denied any involvement in the failed coup of July 15-16. Conspiracy theories have flourished in Turkey since the attempted coup, with one pro-government newspaper saying the putsch was financed by the Central Intelligence Agency and directed by a retired US army general using a cell phone in Afghanistan. The United States has denied any involvement and any prior knowledge of the failed attempt Curses! Foiled again! to overthrow the government. Erdogan also issued a new presidential decree Sunday that introduced sweeping reforms to Turkey's military in the wake of the failed coup, bringing the Turkish armed forces further under civilian authority. The decree, the third to have been issued after a three-month state of emergency was declared following the attempted coup, gives the president and prime minister the authority to issue direct orders to the commanders of the army, air force and navy. It also announces the discharge of 1,389 military personnel, including Erdogan's chief military adviser who had been tossed in the clink Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! days after the attempted putsch, the Chief of General Staff's charge d'affaires and the defense minister's chief secretary. Posted by: Fred 2016-08-03 |
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