be paid for these activities,” said an article published by the Aktif Haber news website on Saturday.
SADAT was directed by retired Brig. Gen. Adnan Tanrıverdi, who was recently appointed as an adviser to President Erdoğan.

According to columnist Abdullah Bozkurt, who calls SADAT Erdoğan’s private army, the man who Bozkurt says is still in charge, Tanrıverdi, is the point man who will reshape NATO’s largest army after the US by steering recruitment policy until 2020.

Tanrıverdi is known for his Islamist ideology and has counseled Erdoğan for years although in an unofficial capacity, Bozkurt wrote for Turkish Minute on Nov. 25.

Meanwhile, 28 military officers were detained on Monday as part of ongoing operations targeting the followers of the faith-based Gülen movement due to their use of a smart phone applicationknown as ByLock. The operations, which were based in the western province of Balıkesir, were conducted across 12 provinces. Turkish authorities believe ByLock is a communication tool between members of the Gülen movement.

A report prepared by the EU Intelligence Analysis Centre (IntCen) revealed that although President Erdoğan and the Turkish government immediately put the blame for the July 15 failed coup on the faith-based Gülen movement, the coup attempt was staged by a range of Erdoğan’s opponents due to fears of an impending purge, according to a report by The Times newspaper on Jan. 17.

The Aldrimer.no website reported on Jan. 25 that NATO sources believe the coup was staged by the president of Turkey himself.

Speaking to vocaleurope.com, a former Turkish officer who served at NATO headquarters in Brussels