Over 8,500 Turkish servicemen have been dismissed over the links to the network of U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, which Turkey refers as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), since the 2016 coup attempt, Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli said on Wednesday.
"Following a coup attempt, 8,570 servicemen were dismissed from the Turkish Armed Forces, including 150 generals and 4,630 middle-ranking officers, whose links to FETO were proven," Canikli said.
A military coup attempt took place in Turkey on July 15, 2016. The network of Gülen played a key role in the coup attempt.