THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Struggle between secular Turkish military and Islamic-oriented government reaches new heights as senior officers jailed
The struggle between the secular Turkish military and the Islamic-oriented government reached new heights Wednesday as a court jailed 12 senior officers — including five admirals, an army general and six other officers.
The officers are charged with plotting several years ago to topple the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, news reports said Wednesday. More officers could be charged later this week.
Former chiefs of Air Force, Navy and Special Forces were also among about 50 officers detained by police in a sweep Monday.
Turkey, a predominantly Muslim but officially secular country, is witnessing an unprecedented showdown between the country's rising political Islamic movement and its fiercely secular founders, the military officers. >>> Selcan Hacaoglu, Ankara, The Associated Press | Wednesday, February 24, 2010
