Turkish Military Officers Want Asylum with NATO

Amid the fallout from Turkey’s failed coup attempt, a number of Turkish military personnel posted at NATO sites have asked for asylum, said NATO head Jens Stoltenberg on Friday.

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Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of the important military alliance said that a number of Turkish officers within NATO command structures across Europe requested asylum where they are working. However, he stressed that "as always, this is an issue that is going to be assessed and decided by the different NATO allies as a national issue.”

Stoltenberg noted that “Turkey has the right to prosecute people behind the coup but it is important this is done in accordance with the rule of law,” adding that Turkey remained an important NATO ally and that Turkey was expected to fill the vacant officer positions.

The majority of asylum requests from Turkish officers were believed to be made from those working in Germany, according to a Turkish official. Germany’s migration agency confirmed the cases for asylum by the Turkish officers but did not have an idea of the number of those seeking protection.

At least two Turkish military officials are requesting asylum in Belgium after they were removed from their position by the Turkish government in September.

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More than 400 Turkish military personnel and diplomats have been removed to return to Turkey according to Reuters, however, many have refused to return upon government instruction. Since the July 15 coup attempt, President Tayyip Erdogan's administration has continued its crackdown on opposition and suspected dissidents.

More than 100,000 Turks working in government posts and the military are estimated to have been removed and tens of thousands are thought to have been jailed as part of the post-coup crackdown.

Rights groups are particularly concerned about the Erdogan's purges which have also targeted journalists, academics and those suspected of ties to the Gulen and Kurdish movements within the country. Western states in NATO, however, see Turkey as an important strategic partner in the fight against the Islamic State group in the region.