The head of Turkey's armed forces has responded angrily to a newspaper report accusing the military of plotting to overthrow the government.

Gen Ilker Basbug delivered a televised address in which he warned that the military's patience over a stream of allegations had limits.

He insisted coups were a thing of the past, and that power should only change hands through democratic means.

For the past two years, the Turkish people have been bombarded with sensational revelations about alleged dirty tricks by elements of the military, the BBC reported.

Some of the allegations, relating to a sinister "deep state" network known as Ergenekon, have already resulted in the arrest and trials of dozens of people, including retired generals.

But there have been further reports of military plots against the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan - all reported in a two-year-old independent newspaper.

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