Turkish briefly closes NATO air base

Turkey's counter-terrorism police forces briefly closed the Nato's Incirlik Air Base to prevent a new coup attempt.

The shutdown operation on Sunday carried out by the police forces, was completed in two and a half hours following a report that the supporters of US based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen would make a new coup attempt in this air base, Xinhua news agency cited from the Hurriyet Daily news.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Saturday that the country's intelligence agency will be under his control and military commanders will report to the defence minister.

Erdogan said the moves aim to bring the Turkish military under civilian control after the failed coup attempt last month.

A total of 1,389 pro-coup soldiers, including Erdogan's military aide, were discharged from the Turkish Armed Forces, the state Official Gazette announced on Sunday.

Altogether, 8,651 soldiers took part in the failed coup attempt on July 15, making up 1.5 per cent of the military's total personnel, the General Staff of the Turkish armed forced said.

--IANS

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