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.
