Turkey sacks 15,000 more people as part of coup probe

Ankara, Turkey: Turkey's government has dismissed a further 15,000 people from the military, police and the civil service as part of an ongoing investigation into the failed military coup in July.

Also within the two government decrees issued Tuesday, the government shut-down 500 associations, 19 health establishments and nine media outlets.

Turkey has accused U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen of masterminding the failed July 15 attempt to topple the government and has launched a large-scale crackdown on his followers and institutions run by his movement. Authorities have arrested close to 38,000 people and purged 100,000 others from government jobs. Gulen denies involvement in the coup

The government is also accused of using powers from a state of emergency declared after the coup to clamp down on other government critics.