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Will Turkey's military turn East or West?

After Turkey's massive military purge following the failed coup, the new leadership may push for a differing military strategy.
Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim (3rd R), Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar (3rd L), Defense Minister Fikri Isik (2nd R) and the country's top generals pose in Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, after a wreath-laying ceremony ahead of a High Military Council meeting in Ankara, Turkey, July 28, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSK1K7

As the number of dismissals from Turkey's military ranks grows after the failed coup last month, we can try to get a clearer picture of who and what will be left when the purge ends.

Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said Aug. 18 that a total of 3,725 ranking officers from the army, navy and air force commands, the gendarmerie and coast guard have been discharged from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). The castoffs were strongly suspected of being affiliated with the Gulen movement, or of neglecting their duty at the time of the coup.

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