Turkey's military expelled 10 officers for being "reactionary" along with 13 others accused of lack of discipline, an official said Sunday. The military, a strong supporter of Turkey's secular standing, ousted the 10 officers for "reactionary activities," the military official said, according to the AP.
The phrase "reactionary activities," usually refers to alleged ties to religious groups or a religious agenda seen as a threat to the nation's secularist tradition.
It was the first time the Higher Military Council disclosed the number of those expelled on that specific allegation. In the past, it only released the total number of dismissed officers and gave no other details, the Milliyet newspaper said. The Zaman newspaper reported that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul signed the council decision.
The military dismissed 13 other officers because of behavior disrupting discipline which harms the military's prestige, newspapers reported.
