194 killed as Turkish military coup attempt fails, Erdogan returns

Published July 16, 2016
People react after they took over military position on the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul on July 16, 2016. — AFP
People react after they took over military position on the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul on July 16, 2016. — AFP

ISTANBUL: Forces loyal to the Turkish government fought on Saturday to crush the remnants of a military coup attempt which crumbled after crowds answered President Tayyip Erdogan's call to take to the streets and dozens of rebels abandoned their tanks.

More than 194 people — including 41 police, 47 civilians, two military officers and 104 described as “coup plotters” — were killed in clashes that erupted since Friday after a faction of the armed forces attempted to seize power using tanks and attack helicopters, some strafing the headquarters of Turkish intelligence and parliament in Ankara, others seizing a major bridge in Istanbul.

Erdogan appeared to accuse the coup plotters of trying to kill him, and promised to purge the armed forces which in the past have staged a number of successful coups. “They will pay a heavy price for this,” he said. “This uprising is a gift from God to us because this will be a reason to cleanse our army.”


  • Erdogan calls coup bid “an act of treason”

  • Coup appears to crumble, around 1,500 arrested for the uprising

  • 194 people killed across the country

  • Tanks roll out on streets, gunfire reported in Ankara and Istanbul

  • Turkish military issues statement, says it is “restoring order”


Turkish authorities have already detained around 1,500 members of the armed forces, officials said. Chief of staff Hulusi Akar, who had been reported held hostage by the rebels, has been rescued, a senior official said.

Supporters of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, gather, waving Turkish flags, in Istanbul's Taksim square, early Saturday, July 16. — AP
Supporters of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, gather, waving Turkish flags, in Istanbul's Taksim square, early Saturday, July 16. — AP

A successful overthrow of Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey since 2003, would have marked one of the biggest shifts in the Middle East in years, transforming a major US ally while war rages on its border.

However, a failed coup attempt could still destabilise a Nato member that lies between the European Union and the chaos of Syria, with Islamic State bombers targeting Turkish cities and the government also at war with Kurdish separatists.

Erdogan, who had been holidaying on the southwest coast when the coup was launched, flew into Istanbul before dawn on Saturday and was shown on TV outside Ataturk Airport.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses during an attempted coup in Istanbul, Turkey July 16. — Reuters
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses during an attempted coup in Istanbul, Turkey July 16. — Reuters

Addressing a crowd of thousands of flag-waving supporters at the airport later, Erdogan said the government remained at the helm, although disturbances continued in Ankara.

Erdogan said the plotters had tried to attack him in the resort town of Marmaris. “They bombed places I had departed right after I was gone,” he said. “They probably thought we were still there.”

The death toll has risen to 90, state-run Anadolu Agency reported, with 1,154 people wounded. Turkish authorities have detained 1,563 military personnel across the country.

‘No more coups for Turkey’

Turkey’s acting chief of staff Umit Dundar on Saturday said the country has “closed the chapter of coups for good, never to be opened again”.

Giving details to media representatives on how the bid to overthrow a democratically-elected government was thwarted, Dundar said: “Swift measures by our police and prosecutors and standing by democracy and rule of law prevented the coup attempt.”

Turkey’s senior military command was against the idea of overthrowing an elected government from the “very start”, Dundar said.

He added that the coup was attempted “largely by troops from air force, gendarmerie and some armoured elements”.

Close to 200 unarmed soldiers at the Turkish military headquarters surrendered to state authorities, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

Smart phone address

In a night that sometimes verged on the bizarre, Erdogan used social media to speak to the Turkish people - even though he is an avowed enemy of such technology when his opponents use it, frequently targeting Twitter and Facebook.

At one point Erdogan effectively addressed the nation via a video calling service, appearing on the smart phone of a CNN Turk reporter who held it up to a studio camera so that viewers to the network could see him.

Turkish security officers detain Turkish police officers (in black) on July 15, 2016 in Istanbul, during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge. — AFP
Turkish security officers detain Turkish police officers (in black) on July 15, 2016 in Istanbul, during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge. — AFP

The pro-coup faction said in an emailed statement from the Turkish military General Staff's media office address that it was determinedly still fighting. Calling itself the Peace at Home Movement, the faction also called on people to stay indoors for their own safety.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said rebel soldiers who had taken control of military aircraft had fired from the air and fighter jets had been scrambled to intercept them.

Gunfire and explosions had rocked both Istanbul and Ankara in a chaotic night after soldiers took up positions in both cities and ordered state television to read out a statement declaring they had taken power.

Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's iconic Bosphorus Bridge on Friday. — AP
Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's iconic Bosphorus Bridge on Friday. — AP

However, by dawn the noise of fighting had died down considerably.

Around 50 soldiers involved in the coup surrendered on one of the bridges across the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul after dawn on Saturday, abandoning their tanks with their hands raised in the air. Reuters witnesses saw government supporters attack the pro-coup soldiers who had surrendered.

Earlier, around 30 pro-coup soldiers had surrendered their weapons after being surrounded by armed police in Istanbul's central Taksim Square.

They were taken away in police vans as a fighter jet repeatedly screeched overhead at low altitude, causing a boom that shook surrounding buildings and shattered windows.

Lawmakers in hiding

The coup began with warplanes and helicopters roaring over Ankara and troops moving in to seal off the bridges over the Bosphorus Strait that links Europe and Asia in Istanbul.

Authorities had shut the strait to tanker traffic, shipping agent GAC said.

Turkish people attempt to stop a tank moving into position in Ankara, Turkey, late Friday, July 15, 2016. — AP
Turkish people attempt to stop a tank moving into position in Ankara, Turkey, late Friday, July 15, 2016. — AP

In the early hours of Saturday, lawmakers were hiding in shelters inside the parliament building, which was being fired on by tanks. Smoke rose up from nearby, Reuters witnesses said. An opposition MP told Reuters parliament was hit three times and that people had been wounded.

A senior Turkish official said later on Saturday attacks on the parliament had “largely stopped”.

A Turkish military commander also said fighter jets had shot down a helicopter used by the coup plotters over Ankara. State-run Anadolu news agency said 17 police were killed at special forces headquarters there.

Momentum turned against the coup plotters as the night wore on. Crowds defied orders to stay indoors, gathering at major squares in Istanbul and Ankara, waving flags and chanting.

Turkish soldiers are seen on the Asian side of Istanbul, Friday, July 15, 2016. — AP
Turkish soldiers are seen on the Asian side of Istanbul, Friday, July 15, 2016. — AP

“We have a prime minister, we have a chief of command, we're not going to leave this country to degenerates,” shouted one man, as groups of government supporters climbed onto a tank near Ataturk airport.

Erdogan and other officials blamed the attempted coup on followers of Fethullah Gulen, an influential cleric in self-imposed exile in the United States who once supported Erdogan but became a nemesis.

The pro-Gulen Alliance for Shared Values said it condemned any military intervention in domestic politics.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said he phoned the Turkish foreign minister and emphasised “absolute support for Turkey's democratically elected, civilian government and democratic institutions”.

European Council President Donald Tusk called for a swift return to Turkey's constitutional order, saying tensions there could not be resolved by guns.

Flights resume

Flag carrier Turkish Airways resumed flights on Saturday, Erdogan said. Malaysia Airports, the operator of Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, Istanbul's second airport, said it would continue to process flights in and out of Turkey.

Soldiers took control of TRT state television, which announced a countrywide curfew and martial law.

Turkish security officers detain police officers on the side of the road on July 15, 2016 in Istanbul, during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge. — AFP
Turkish security officers detain police officers on the side of the road on July 15, 2016 in Istanbul, during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge. — AFP

An announcer read a statement on the orders of the pro-coup faction that accused the government of eroding the democratic and secular rule of law. Turkey would be run by a “peace council” that would ensure the safety of the population, the statement said.

TRT went off the air shortly afterwards. It resumed broadcasting in the early hours of Saturday. Reuters reporters saw a helicopter open fire in Ankara. Anadolu news agency said military helicopters had fired on the headquarters of the intelligence agency.

Turkey is one of the main backers of opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in that country's civil war, host to 2.7 million Syrian refugees and launchpad last year for the biggest influx of migrants to Europe since World War Two.

People rally on a tank after they take over military position on the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul on July 16. — AFP
People rally on a tank after they take over military position on the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul on July 16. — AFP

Celebratory gunfire erupted in Syria's capital Damascus after the army claimed to have toppled Erdogan. People took to the streets to celebrate there and in other government-held cities.

Turkey has suffered numerous bombings and shootings this year, including an attack two weeks ago by militants at Ataturk airport that killed more than 40 people, as well as those staged by Kurdish militants.

After serving as prime minister from 2003, Erdogan was elected president in 2014 with plans to alter the constitution to give the previously ceremonial presidency far greater executive powers.

Turkey has enjoyed an economic boom during his time in office and has dramatically expanded its influence across the region. However, opponents say his rule has become increasingly authoritarian.

His AK Party has long had a strained relationship with the military and nationalists in a state that was founded on secularist principles after World War One. The military has a history of mounting coups to defend secularism, but has not seized power directly since 1980.

Pakistan assures full support to Turkey

Pakistan has assured full support to Turkey after an attempt to overthrow Erdogan’s government was foiled.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatimi spoke to Turkish foreign minister and assured him of Pakistan’s “full support”.

Prime Minister Nawaz sharif strongly condemned the act, saying it was an attempt to harm democracy which was foiled by the people of Turkey.

“Resolve demonstrated by the people of Turkey against a military coup is appreciated,” he said in a statement released by the Prime Minister House.

— Additional reporting by Mateen Haider from Islamabad

Opinion

Editorial

New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.
Ceasefire, finally
Updated 26 Mar, 2024

Ceasefire, finally

Palestinian lives matter, and a generation of orphaned Gazan children will be looking to the world community to secure justice for them.
Afghan return
26 Mar, 2024

Afghan return

FOLLOWING a controversial first repatriation phase involving ‘illegal’ Afghan refugees last November, the...
Planes and plans
26 Mar, 2024

Planes and plans

FOR the past many years, PIA has been getting little by way of good press, mostly on account of internal...