Turkey military dismisses 8,570 personnel since coup attempt

ANKARA, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- A total of 8,570 Gulen-linked personnel have been dismissed from the Turkish military since last year's defeated coup attempt, Turkey's Defense Minister said on Wednesday.

They include 150 generals, 4,630 army officers, 2,168 sergeants, 1,211 specialized sergeants and 411 civil servants, Nurettin Canikli said in a meeting of the parliament.

Fethullah Gulen, the U.S.-based preacher, is accused by Ankara of orchestrating a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016, which left at least 250 people killed and over 2,000 people injured.

The Turkish government declared a state of emergency and launched a massive crackdown on Gulen's supporters in the aftermath of the coup attempt.