Turkey widens action against rebels

Ankara : The Turkish government proclaimed that it will weed out each and every person involved in the coup against President Erdogan. In the ruthless operations being carried out by the loyal Turkish forces, 50,000 people had already been taken captive by Wednesday. The held include many teachers and it is claimed that the operations will continue relentlessly till the objective is achieved.

On Tuesday, the Erdogan government expelled 17,000 teachers and many Government officials engaged the field of education in the public sector. In the Private Schools, licenses of 21,000 teachers have been cancelled. The Education Ministry officials claim this action has been taken on the basis of information received about their involvement in the revolt.

It has also come to light that the ‘High Education Board’ has demanded resignations from 1577 senior officials of various colleges and universities. The Government has imposed bans on performing burial rituals of soldiers and their helpers who lost their lives attempting last week’s failed coup attempt.

Turkey has formally requested the extradition of cleric Fethullah Gulen from the United States, the Prime Minister said on Tuesday, even as the government widens its purge following the failed military coup over the weekend. The Prime Minister said that related evidence of Gulen’s hand in the revolt was presented to America.

President Erdogan blames Gulen, a long time bitter rival, for the attempted coup that began Friday night, leaving at least 232 people dead and leading to mass arrests and dismissals.

Turkey demanded that the 8 rebels who landed in Greece in a helicopter last week must be handed over to them. Greece has announced that they will prosecute the rebels as per Greek laws. This has caused Turkey to adopt a threatening attitude. The rebels have requested Greece for sanctuary.

As fallout of the coup attempt, the European Union declared that Turkish citizens will no longer be able to gain ‘visa-free’ entry into Europe.