Turkey's Military Chiefs of Staff Step Down

The chiefs of staff of Turkey's military stepped down today as tensions dramatically increased over the arrest of dozens of officers accused of plotting to overthrow the Islamic-rooted government. The resignations of Turkey's top general, Isik Kosaner, along with the country's navy, army, and air force commanders, came hours after a court charged 22 suspects, including several generals and officers, with carrying out an Internet campaign to undermine the government. The commanders asked to be retired, the state-run Anatolia news agency said.

The resignation of so many top commanders for the first time ever in Turkey signals a deep rift with the government, which has been confident in confronting a military that once held sway over Turkish political life. The arrests of high-ranking military officers would once have been unimaginable. Click for more background. (More Turkey stories.)