Retired military officers evaluate February 28

News: Utku Beycan

Nurettin Veren, who was once one of the closest figures to Fethullah Gülen, stated in a broadcast on A Haber on August 22, 2016, that during the February 28 process, Naval Forces Commander Güven Erkaya had dismissed Gülen's core cadre within the military.

“THE NAVAL FORCES DISTURBED IMPERIALISM”

Retired Rear Admiral Cem Gürdeniz stated that the Naval Forces were one of the forces that acted most actively toward Turkey's national interests, especially after the Cold War. Gürdeniz used the following expressions:

“The Naval Forces, with their armament, force structure, and doctrine, disturbed imperialism. FETÖ, which is an instrument of US intelligence agencies, therefore prioritized its structuring within the Naval Forces.”

“FETÖ-AFFILIATED SOLDIERS DISMISSED FROM THE ARMY WERE FIRST REINSTATED, THEN DISMISSED AGAIN”

Retired Admiral Türker Ertürk recalled that the Naval Forces were also the most targeted during the Balyoz frame-up. Emphasizing that a resistance against FETÖ had formed in the Navy and that the Naval Forces were the place where FETÖ was least structured, Ertürk stated the following:

“The Gülen Community had evaluated the Naval Forces as the weak link due to the number of personnel. They thought that making the first move in the Navy would lead to less reaction.”

Stating that he was the Alçıtepe Commander between 1996 and 1997 and that he dismissed 6 non-commissioned officers who were members of the Community, Ertürk said, “If it weren't for Güven Erkaya at that time, it would not have been so easy for me to dismiss the community members.”

Stating that the FETÖ members he dismissed were reinstated into the TSK (Turkish Armed Forces) with the restoration of their reputation and were removed again by Decree Laws (KHK) after July 15, Ertürk said:

“On August 31, 2013, Barış Terkoğlu, Barış Pehlivan, and I held a protest in Pennsylvania in front of Gülen's farm. In the speech I made, I explained that the Community was preparing for a coup and that he would return like Khomeini. Not a single person asked why I reached this conclusion or where I got this from. The next day, on September 1, 2013, we held a large meeting in New Jersey. We talked about what they were doing and how they were structured. In my opinion, the way for the coup was paved. In the statement I made after the coup, I said, 'If I were the Chief of General Staff, I would have prevented this attempt with the measures and orders I would have taken.'”

“THE ACCURACY OF THE FEBRUARY 28 DECISIONS HAS BEEN UNDERSTOOD”

Retired Colonel Alican Türk, one of the acquitted defendants of the February 28 case and author of the books “February 28: Notes to History from Sincan” and “The Never-Ending Exploitation: February 28”, said, “How important, accurate, and legitimate the decisions taken at the National Security Council on February 28, 1997, were is now understood today.”

“THE MILITARY TOOK THE SAME MEASURES AS THE GOVERNMENT”

Alican Türk used the following expressions:

“Institutions responsible for the internal and external security of our country, such as the Turkish Armed Forces, the National Intelligence Organization, the Police, and the Gendarmerie, had noticed certain threats and dangers against the Republic, whose basic principles are determined by the Constitution, and had determined that foreign-backed groups aiming to establish an Islamic Republic based on Sharia law posed a threat to the existing state of law. At the MGK meeting held on February 28, the dangers and threats identified by these institutions were put on the table, discussed thoroughly for long hours, and as a result, 18 decisions were adopted under the title of 'Measures to be Taken Against Anti-Regime Reactionary Activities' in the 406 numbered MGK Decisions and its annex. These decisions were later discussed and adopted exactly as they were by the Council of Ministers by the existing REFAHYOL Government, and a prime ministerial directive was issued under the signature of Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan himself for their implementation. Within the framework of that directive, circulars were sent to all governorships, primarily by the Ministry of State Responsible for Women and Family, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice, and especially the Ministry of Interior headed by Meral Akşener. Thus, all those applications that contain complaints about the February 28 process, such as 'Our veiled sisters were not allowed to work in the public sector, were not admitted to universities' by certain circles, are actually applications that were put into effect entirely within the framework of the Ministry of Interior Circular. None of these have anything to do with the military; all applications were carried out by the governorships within the framework of the directive given by the civilian government.”

“THEY DECEIVED OUR NATION WITH THE SAME LIES”

Stating that the soldiers also implemented the measures in the government directive in their own barracks, Türk continued with these words:

“The clamor that 'Commanders dismissed Muslim personnel who prayed and fasted' is entirely propaganda. I also define myself as a Muslim; I have been praying and fasting since my military student days. Why didn't they dismiss thousands of personnel like me? Personnel dismissed from the TSK due to sect-community connections, primarily the Fethullah Gülen community, deceived the pious segments with this lie and have deceived our nation with the same lies until today.”

Stating that the February 28 MGK Decisions were not followed seriously, were watered down, and were emptied of their content and essence by both the REFAHYOL period and the governments after REFAHYOL, Colonel Alican Türk expressed, “With the understanding that no harm would come from people whose foreheads touch the ground in prostration, the infiltration of all sect-community members, especially Fethullahists, into the public sector was turned a blind eye to.”

“THE APOCALYPSE BROKE OUT WHEN MESUT YILMAZ BECAME PRIME MINISTER”

Stating that the resignation of Welfare Party leader and Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan on June 18, 1997, was not due to the pressure of the military, but as a result of a protocol they established between themselves and the coalition partner DYP and Çiller, Türk added:

“After Erbakan's resignation, Çiller was expecting the task of forming the new government to be given to her. However, the President of the period, Süleyman Demirel, gave the task of forming the government to ANAP leader Mesut Yılmaz instead of Çiller, and the apocalypse broke out. At first, Çiller's words such as 'This is a Çankaya coup' began to be trimmed over time and pinned on the soldiers as 'This is a coup.' However, February 28 has nothing to do with a military coup. As a matter of fact, the late Necmettin Erbakan did not say anywhere or in any way that he was forced to resign by a military coup in the 14 years that passed between June 18, 1997, when he resigned, and April 27, 2011, when he passed away, and he never complained about the soldiers or said a single word against them. As a matter of fact, the February 28 case was opened after Erbakan died; if Erbakan were alive, no one could have opened such a case. The traitor disguised as a prosecutor named Mustafa Bilgili, who initiated the February 28 investigation and opened the case, was also sentenced to 17 years in prison due to his FETÖ membership and his role in the Cosmic Room frame-up.”

“IF THE FEBRUARY 28 DECISIONS HAD BEEN IMPLEMENTED, JULY 15 WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED”

Stating that an attempt is being made to establish a link between February 28 and July 15, Türk said, “They are carrying out immoral propaganda with claims that the foundation of July 15 was laid on February 28. However, if the MGK decisions taken on February 28 had been implemented correctly by the subsequent governments, and had not been underestimated and watered down, a treasonous uprising called July 15 would never have happened. What kind of threat the Fethullah Gülen community was had already been clearly expressed at the MGK meeting held on February 28. As a matter of fact, during that process, 243 of the 680 personnel dismissed from the TSK for reactionary reasons between 1996 and 1999 were members of the Fethullah Gülen Nur Community, which is 33 percent of the dismissals.

However, with the AKP government, institutions such as the MİT and the Police, which should have detected the community-sect structuring within the TSK and warned the TSK, stopped giving any information to the TSK on this subject. When that happened, various sect-community structures, primarily Fethullahists, infiltrated the TSK, and as a result, those traitors carried out the July 15 uprising,” he said.

Colonel Türk concluded his words by saying, “The importance, accuracy, and legitimacy of the February 28 MGK Decisions are being understood much better with each passing day, and will be understood. I hope and wish that it will not be too late when the nation wakes up regarding the reactionary threat.”

News Source: 12punto