Prosecutors probe possible 'junta' within Turkey's military

Published March 16, 2017

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, right, shakes hands with Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Feb. 27, 2017. Barzani, on a working visit to Turkey and according to the government, Turkey's relations with Iraq and the Iraqi Kurdish regional government, the fight against terrorism and regional developments will be addressed. (Prime Minister's Press Service, Pool Photo via AP) (The Associated Press)

Turkey's state-run news agency says a prosecutor has launched an investigation into the possible existence of a clique within the military capable of "obstructing" the government.

The Anadolu Agency says the prosecutor in Istanbul started the probe Monday following a weekend report in the Hurriyet newspaper that suggested some within army headquarters were "disturbed" by a series of steps taken by the military, including a decision to allow female officers to wear headscarves while on duty.

It said the probe was launched in response to an official complaint filed by a university lecturer, who said the report demonstrated the presence of an "influential and active junta."

In July, the Turkish government survived a failed military coup attempt that it blamed on the followers of the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen.

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