ANKARA ¨C Turkey will shut down its military academies and put the armed forces under the command of the defense minister, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday in a move designed to bring the military under tighter government control following a failed coup.
The changes, some of which Erdogan said will likely be announced in the government¡¯s official gazette by Sunday, come after more than 1,700 military personnel were dishonorably discharged earlier in the week for their role in the abortive July 15-16 putsch.
Erdogan, who narrowly escaped capture and possible death on the night of the coup, said in an interview a week ago that the military, NATO¡¯s second-biggest, needs ¡°fresh blood.¡± The dishonorable discharges included around 40 percent of Turkey¡¯s admirals and generals.
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