Turkey to disband its presidential guard

Turkey will disband its elite presidential guard after around 300 of its members were arrested following last week’s failed coup.

“There will no longer be a presidential guard, there is no purpose, there is no need,” Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told the A Haber TV channel.

The presidential guard numbers around 2,500 soldiers, but at least 283 were detained after last week’s uprising.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a widespread crackdown following the attempted coup, arresting thousands of service personnel and sacking or suspending thousands of government officials, teachers and university rectors.

A state of emergency was declared on Wednesday, allowing the president and cabinet to bypass parliament when drafting new laws and to restrict or suspend rights and freedoms.

Earlier, a nephew of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen was arrested, on charges of being behind the failed coup. Muhammet Sait Gulen strongly denies the claim.

A presidential official quoted by Reuters said that Halis Hanci, described as Fethullah Gulen's right-hand man, had been "captured".

Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of Erdogan, has called on the US government to block Turkey's attempts to extradite him.

Also on Saturday, Ankara’s chief prosecutor Harun Kodalak reportedly said that 1,200 detained in the wake of the coup have been released, the majority of which were low-ranking soldiers. Thousands of other service personnel, including over 100 generals and admirals, remain in detention.

Erdogan’s tough measures in response to the coup have been criticised by human rights organisations, as well as by France, Germany and senior EU officials. However, Erdogan told France 24 television on Saturday that the EU was “biased and prejudiced” against Turkey.