<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> WorldTribune.com: Mobile — Turkey's Islamist government shakes up its military command
Turkey's Islamist government shakes up its military command

Wednesday, August 6, 20088 Free Headline Alerts

ANKARA — Turkey has replaced part of its military command in the aftermath of an unsuccessful court challenge to the ruling Islamist party.

The Supreme Military Council ended a four-day meeting with promotions and appointments of senior commanders. The key appointment was that of Gen. Ilker Basbug, named the next military chief of staff.

On Aug. 4, the council said Basbug, now chief of the Turkish Land Forces Command, would enter his new post on Aug. 30. Basbug, 65 and a graduate of the NATO Defense College, was meant to replace pro-Western Chief of Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit. Gen. Hasan Igsiz was named deputy chief of staff.

The changes were made in the wake of a Turkish court ruling that saved the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, from being disbanded on charges of promoting an Islamic state. The military council has been chaired by Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, head of AKP and regarded as leading the drive to reduce the power of the secular military.

The new Land Forces chief was identified as Gen. Isik Kosaner, head of the Gendarmarie Command. Kosaner would be replaced in his current position by Gen. Avni Atila Isik, chief of staff of the Land Forces Command.

Officials said the new General Staff would oversee the Turkish war against the Kurdish Workers Party in Iraq. They said the military leadership would also direct the multi-billion-dollar modernization program.

For the first time in more than a decade, the council did not purge suspected Islamist officers from the military. Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has been a harsh critic of these dismissals.

Other appointments by the council included Gen. Ergin Saygun, named commander of Turkey's 1st Army; Gen. Necdet Ozel, chief of the 2d Army; Gen. Saldiray Berk, commander of the 3rd Army; Brig. Gen. Hayri Kivrikoglu, chief of the Aegean Army Command; Brig. Gen. Aslan Guner, chief of staff of the Land Forces Command; Gen. Hasan Aksay, commander of the War College; and Vice Adm. Ugur Yigit, naval fleet commander.

The council was said to have appointed 65 senior military officers, including colonels and brigadier generals. The chiefs of the air force and navy were not affected by the latest promotions. Adm. Metin Atac and Gen. Aydogan Babaoglu were scheduled to remain as commanders of the navy and air force, respectively, until August 2009.

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