Basbug will occupy the military commander position for the next two years [EPA]

General Ilker Basbug, 65, will replace the current army chief, General Yasar Buyukanit at the end of August, the army announced in a statement.

The decision was made after a four-day annual military council meeting attended by the prime minister, the defense minister and the country's top military officials.

Basbug is a graduate of the Nato Defense College and an advocate of a strong north Atlantic alliance.

He also supports the continuation of solid ties with Israel.

Widely respected

Seen by Turks to be a hawkish general who is likely to avoid open confrontation with the Islamist-rooted governing AK party, Basbug's approach differs from his predecessor, who often clashed publicly with the government.

"Unlike the often impulsive incumbent... Buyukanit, Basbug is known for his cool and calculating nature," said Wolfango Piccoli, an analyst at political risk think-tank Eurasia Group.

"The result will be less likelihood of abrupt escalations in civil-military tension, but at the same time more effective political pressure from the military," he said.

Basbug is regarded as one of the most outstanding officers of his generation, combining a strong intellect with a deep commitment to Turkish secularist, Piccoli added.

"He will occupy the post for the next two years, and is likely to prove a formidable opponent for the AK party," Piccoli said.

PKK combat

Basbug's term as head of the land forces also saw an ongoing military reform designed to train special forces to combat he Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist group by Turkey.

He oversaw February's ground incursion into neighboring Iraq to hit Kurdish fighters there, the first such operation by Turkey since the US-led invasion of Iraq toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

More than 200 Kurds were killed during the eight-day-long incursion, the military later said, a claim denied by the fighters.

"He's a commander with great discipline and experience at Nato," said Necati Ozgen, a former Turkish army general who worked with Basbug at the Turkish military academy in the late 1970s.

"No tolerance should be expected from him in the fight against the terrorists."

Basbug's appointment was announced along with several other promotions and retirements after the annual meeting of Turkey's higher military council, chaired by Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister.

Board decisions will be sent to Abdullah Gul, the president, for approval.

General Isik Kosaner, the paramilitary gendarmerie commander, also considered a hawk, takes over the land forces command.

Recommend this article...

Did you enjoy this article? Please bookmark it onto: