The changes, announced just over two weeks after the coup, appear aimed at giving Erdogan more control over the armed forces and intelligence. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said he wanted to introduce constitutional changes to bring the Turkish spy agency and military chief of staff directly under his control as he seeks to tighten his grip on the country after the failed coup. Turkey meanwhile pressed ahead with a crackdown on the alleged accomplices of the coup, which Erdogan said has resulted in the detention of almost 19,000 people but has also sparked international concern. Turkey on Thursday already reshuffled the upper echelons of its military after nearly half of its 358 generals were sacked for complicity in the coup. “If things do not return to normal in the state of emergency then like France we could extend it,” Erdogan said.

Source: Hindustan Times July 31, 2016 05:48 UTC