Erdogan slams Turkish daily over army chief story

ANKARA

A story last week by a Turkish daily including alleged criticisms of Turkey’s army chief was “shameless and worthless,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday.

“I tell you straight, the [story’s] headline showed rudeness, a lack of character. Neither the newspaper’s management nor the staff have the right to write such a headline. Some legal steps have been taken and we will follow this. Because there is no right and no authority to set state institutions against each other,” he told reporters at Ataturk International Airport before leaving for a regional economic summit in Pakistan.

Last week, Turkish daily Hurriyet published a feature story including alleged criticisms of Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar.

According to Hurriyet, anonymous military sources criticized last week’s end to the headscarf ban in the military, Akar’s foreign visits with Erdogan, and his recent visit to the Kardak Islets in the Aegean Sea.

Reporting by Ali Bayaslan; Writing by Hatice Kesgin