Turkey reshuffles military after half of generals fired

Turkey’s top military commanders met Thursday to replace almost half of their generals in a radical shake-up after the failed coup, as authorities shut down dozens of media outlets in a widening crackdown.

Turkey’s top military commanders met Thursday to replace almost half of their generals in a radical shake-up after the failed coup, as authorities shut down dozens of media outlets in a widening crackdown.

A man holds a banner as he and others have gathered in solidarity night after night since the July 15 coup attempt in central Ankara on Wednesday. (Reuters)

The hastily-convened meeting came after the government ordered the discharge of 149 generals -- nearly half of the armed forces’ entire contingent of 358 -- for alleged complicity in the putsch bid.

Separately, a total of 131 newspapers, TV channels and other media outlets were being shut down under the three-month state of emergency declared in the wake of the coup.

Read: Democracy in Turkey is under threat after failed coup

The July 15 rebellion saw plotters bomb Ankara from warplanes and wreak havoc with tanks on the streets of Istanbul in a bid to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

But it sparked a backlash affecting all aspects of Turkish life.

So far almost 16,000 people have been detained in a crackdown -- the magnitude of which had caused international alarm.

“My concern has to do with the fact that the actions here are very tough and the principle of proportionality is not always central,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in Berlin.

Read: After failed coup, Turkey constructs ‘Traitors’ Cemetery’ for plotters