Turkey sacks over 18,600 employees linked to terror groups

Turkey dismissed 18,632 state employees from their posts through a statutory decree under Turkey's state of emergency over their links with terror groups, according to the official gazette on Sunday.

The gazette said 148 others who had been earlier dismissed from public institutions and organisations were reinstated.

Turkey declared a state of emergency for the first time on July 20, 2016, following the defeated coup by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (or FETO) and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen, which left 251 people dead and nearly 2,200 wounded.

In the scope of counter terror measures, Turkey has issued public decrees to cut links of terror-related personnel with the government.

Details of those ousted

On Sunday, the official gazette said 8,998 police officers were ousted from the security general directorate, while 649 others were dismissed from the gendarmerie general command.

Also, 3,077 personnel from the land forces command, 1,126 from the naval forces command, and 1,949 from the air force command were ousted from the Turkish army.

About 1,052 people, including judicial candidates and civil servants were dismissed from the justice ministry.

Twelve associations, three newspapers and a TV channel were shut down.

End of state of emergency?

About 1,526 others from the Turkish security forces, 324 from army, 1,167 from security general directorate, and 35 from gendarmerie general command, who had already been dismissed from their service were stripped of their ranks.

Under the statutory decree, a total of 199 academics were also dismissed across the country.

Turkey is lifting the state of emergency on Monday after the announcement of new cabinet, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Thursday.