ANKARA, Turkey, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- The Turkish military agreed this week that 11 senior officers allegedly involved in an anti-government plot will not be promoted.
President Abdullah Gul accepted the list that came out of the annual Supreme Military Council Wednesday, Hurriyet reported. But the compromise, after four days of talks between the council and the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, did not include candidates for chief of the general staff or commander of land forces, the two most important posts in the Turkish military.
The 11 officers denied promotion are among more than 100 the government says were involved in a secret organization known as Sledgehammer that was organized in 2002 with the goal of overthrowing the Erdogan government.
Gul rejected the appointment of Gen. Hasan Igsiz ro be commander of land forces, the Financial Times reported.
The general, now acting commander of the first army, is supposed to testify about another alleged coup attempt.
