Turkey's top general warned on Monday the military was ready to fight any separatist or Islamic militancy it saw threatening the country's secular order and unity.
The army is the self-proclaimed guardian of overwhelmingly Muslim Turkey's separation of state and religion and remains suspicious of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which traces its roots to a banned Islamist movement. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan rejects charges the AKP aims to "Islamicise" the Turkish state, and the government has won praise from the European Union for its efforts to improve political and human rights in its bid to join the wealthy bloc.
In a message marking the national Victory Day holiday, chief of the General Staff Hilmi Ozkok said the staunchly secular military was being tested.
"The armed forces are forced to be a much more vigilant ... and stronger than in the past because of the threats we face during the dynamic process we are now undergoing," Ozkok said.
"There are obvious circles that are frequently questioning our national values, that want to try the nation's and the armed forces' patience and determination, who are threatening our national unity with terrorist activities," he said.
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