Ali Mahir Başarır reacts to the dismissal of lieutenants: 'Is joining a sect, chanting dhikr, and wearing a turban not a breach of discipline?'

CHP Group Deputy Chairman Ali Mahir Başarır criticized the decision to dismiss 5 lieutenants and 3 disciplinary officers from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), as well as the Ministry of National Defense's statement announcing the decision, which claimed that "no act, incident, or situation contrary to discipline will be tolerated." Başarır stated, "Is joining sects, chanting dhikr, and posing with turbans not a breach of discipline, but saying 'I am a soldier of Mustafa Kemal' is? One cannot be a commander if they surrender their lieutenants to the enemies of Commander-in-Chief Atatürk and dismiss them from the TSK in the name of discipline!"

YOU MADE THE ONE WHO FELL INTO THE HANDS OF COUP PLOTTERS A MINISTER

In his statement, Başarır said the following:

"Who is the current Chairman of the National Defense Commission of this Parliament? A man who was taken prisoner by coup plotters on July 15. Who is this man? As our Chairman said, a man who received the curses of his own comrades-in-arms. Well, who is the man in his position today? A man who surrendered his lieutenants by obeying the words of 2-3 looters and enemies of Atatürk. The Chief of General Staff was taken prisoner by coup plotters on July 15, and discipline was not considered broken; you brought that man and made him Minister of National Defense, then made him commission chairman. Did the lieutenants who said 'we are soldiers of Mustafa Kemal' break discipline? Shameless people."

YOUR ONLY CONCERN IS HOSTILITY TOWARD ATATÜRK

"Your only concern is hostility toward Atatürk. One cannot be a commander or a soldier if they surrender their lieutenants to the enemies of Commander-in-Chief Atatürk and dismiss them from the Turkish Armed Forces in the name of discipline. You may take the ranks off the shoulders of those young lieutenants and 3 commanders, but you cannot erase their rank from the soul and chest of this nation. We will look at the legal aspect when the reasoned decision is issued, but we cannot ignore these either."

WE MUST NOT FORGET THE THREE HEROIC COMMANDERS

"Deputy Regimental Commander Colonel Alper Topsakal, Battalion Commander Staff Lieutenant Colonel Halit Türkoğlu, Company Commander Major Murat Öztürk. It should be emphasized how these three commanders protected their subordinates without getting involved in politics and how they did not betray their comrades-in-arms. It should be told how they risked their lives for 25-30 years in the mountains, in the air, at sea, and on land. How will you convince young people who grew up in Anatolia and met Mustafa Kemal that this place is a hearth and a home? Furthermore, is joining sects and chanting dhikr not a breach of discipline, is posing with turbans not a breach of discipline, but saying 'I am a soldier of Mustafa Kemal' is? If they are not to be soldiers of the founder of this country, whose soldiers will they be? Trikoupis's soldiers?"

News Source: 12punto