Turkish army, navy, air force commanders reshuffled

Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 2 By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend: The command structure of the Turkish Armed Forces has been changed at a meeting of the Supreme Military Council held in Turkey Aug. 2, the country’s media outlets reported. According to reports, Incumbent Gendarmerie Commander Gen. Yashar Guler has been appointed as commander-in-chief of the Turkish Land Forces, Vice Admiral Adnan Ozbal – as commander-in-chief of the Turkish Navy, and General Hasan Kucukakyuz has been appointed as the new air force commander. The Supreme Military Council (YAS) meeting at the Cankaya Prime Ministry Office was chaired by Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Chief of the General Staff Hulusi Akar. It was previously reported that as a result of purges in Turkey’s Armed Forces after the July 15 military coup attempt, the number of generals and admirals decreased by 40 percent. There were 236 generals and admirals in the Turkish Armed Forces before the coup attempt, and currently, their numbers total at 96. Reportedly, after the military coup attempt, about 13,000 servicemen, most of whom were ranked reserve officers, were called back for duty into the Turkish Armed Forces. It should be noted that on July 15, 2016, Turkish authorities stated that a military coup attempt took place in the country, as a group of servicemen declared the transition of power. Taking into consideration that rebelling servicemen started to surrender on July 16, Turkish authorities stated that the coup attempt had failed. Nonetheless, more than 255 Turkish citizens were killed during the attempted coup. Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu