Turkish military expels officers

Turkey's secular military expelled 10 officers for being "reactionary" _ a euphemism for Islamist activities _ along with 13 others accused of lack of discipline, an official said Sunday.

The military, a strong supporter of Turkey's secular standing, ousted the 10 officers for "reactionary activities," the military official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to media.

The phrase "reactionary activities," usually refers to alleged ties to religious groups or a religious agenda seen as a threat to the nation's secularist tradition.

It was the first time the Higher Military Council disclosed the number of those expelled on that specific allegation. In the past, it only released the total number of dismissed officers and gave no other details, the Milliyet newspaper said.

The Zaman newspaper, known for its religious readership, reported that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul signed the council decision, but that they disagreed with it.

Erdogan's Justice and Development Party _ which the opposition says has a secret Islamic agenda to scrap secularism _ won more than 46 percent of votes in the July 22 elections.

Erdogan and other party officials have repeatedly denied the allegations made against them, pointing to entry talks with the European Union as proof.

The military dismissed 13 other officers because of behavior disrupting discipline which harms the military's prestige, newspapers reported.

The military has expelled hundreds of officers for alleged ties to leftist or Islamist groups since 1996.