1ST LEAD More than 15,000 fired in new wave of mass dismissals in Turkey By Shabtai Gold and Can Merey, dpa

Istanbul (dpa) - A new wave of mass dismissals and shuttering of associations by decree hit Turkey on Tuesday, as the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced 9,977 members of the security forces and 5,419 civil servants were being fired. Of these, 7,586 police officers were dismissed along with another 1,988 military personnel. More than 1,000 people from the education and higher education sectors, including teachers and academics, were also affected. Some 375 associations were shuttered by decree, many of which had previously seen their offices sealed, along with seven regional newspapers, a magazine and a local radio station.Among the associations closed are leading human rights groups, such as the Progressive Lawyers Association (CHD), which works on torture and the rights of detainees, and Child Agenda (Gundem Cocuk), which focuses on child abuse.About 190 associations and foundations whose work had previously been suspended were allowed to resume functioning, while 175 civil servants who faced dismissals were returned to their posts.Meanwhile, detention orders were issued for 60 members of the air force, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.The measures come under Turkey‘s ongoing state of emergency, which was put in place after a failed coup attempt by a faction in the military in July.More than 170 media outlets have now been shuttered and some 120 journalists are in jail. Nearly 75,000 people have been fired and more are suspended. Overall, more than 35,000 people are under arrest. Erdogan, who can effectively rule by decree on the emergency laws, blames the putsch on US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, his one-time ally. The government stepped up a crackdown in recent months against his alleged followers. Gulen denies involvement in the coup and remains in exile in the United States. Critics say the purges and mass arrests in Turkey are spreading to other opposition groups, including media outlets and Kurdish factions.Civil servants are often named in the dismissal decrees, which are published publicly online in the Official Gazette. These public denouncements are a controversial practice as the orders are made without a court.The crackdown in Turkey, which has also seen 10 members of parliament from the pro-Kurdish Peoples‘ Democratic Party (HDP) jailed and dozens of Kurdish mayors sacked, has been criticized by Western allies of Ankara.