Official announcements from the Turkish government or military

Erdogan Vows to Purge 50 Officers Over Pro-Secular Oath

Sep 8, 2024, 03:50 PM

The Turkish president has vowed to purge military graduates who took a pro-secular oath during their graduation ceremony. This follows an incident where approximately 50 officers at a Turkish military academy raised their swords and declared themselves 'soldiers of Mustafa Kemal' after the official portion of their graduation ceremony. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking at a conference for Islamic schools in Kocaeli, described those involved as 'opportunists' and promised that they would be removed from the military.