Failed coup

Turkey Extends Post-Coup Crackdown to NATO Military Envoys

Last month Turkey fired some 150 NATO military envoys in Europe and the US in a continuous purge, following the attempted overthrow of the Turkish government in July.

Despite calls on Ankara by human rights organizations to stop the crackdown on public servants and end the state of emergency that was declared in the country after the failed coup, Turkey seems to have only intensified drastic measures, with hundreds more arrests and dismissals reported.

According to a classified military dispatch seen by Reuters, 149 Turkish officials serving at the alliance's sites across Europe were ordered on September 27 to return to Turkey within a period of three days. A Turkish military official at NATO said that most of the envoys were dismissed, detained or jailed upon arrival. The dismissed envoys believe they were targeted because of their western outlook and secular backgrounds, contradicting Turkey's current conservative, religious government. One of the sacked officials, in a farewell email to colleagues at NATO reportedly mentioned a "witch hunt" of high-ranking military overseas personnel.