Attempted Coup Sets Off Fight for Control of Turkey
Elements of the Turkish military worked to topple the country's government on Friday, saying their goal was to "reestablish constitutional order." Meanwhile, Turkey's prime minister called the uprising an "illegal act."
Rebellious Turkish military factions tried to seize control of the government late Friday in a stunning attempt to oust Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but the longtime leader’s forces said they were close to putting down the attempted coup.
The ensuing battle left at least 90 people dead across the country, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency, with many of those in Ankara, the capital and the heart of the military.
Rebel troops fired on civilians on the Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul, killing three, as jets streaked over the city, according to the agency. Military leaders supporting the president ordered an F-16 jet fighter in the capital to shoot down a helicopter being used by the rebels. ( More: Turkey’s Erdogan Reasserts Control After Attempted Coup )
EMRAH GUREL/ASSOCIATED PRESS
The government said the situation was largely under control by Saturday morning. Anadolu reported that 1,374 military personnel were detained across Turkey as part of an investigation into the coup attempt. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim,speaking on CNN Turk, said one rebel general was shot dead.
Mr. Erdogan flew back from a vacation resort to Atatürk International Airport in his stronghold of Istanbul, where thousands defied the rebel troops and swarmed their tanks to greet him.
Speaking to live television, the president vowed to deliver a decisive blow to coup leaders and urged civilians to resist the rebels. “Those who stain the military’s reputation must leave,” he said. “The process has started today and it will continue.”
Forces loyal to the president rescued the country’s top military commander, Gen. Hulusi Akar, who had been held captive by coup plotters, the president’s office said. Mr. Akar’s refusal to back the coup was likely a key reason why the military takeover quickly unraveled. The head of Turkey’s intelligence service, Hakan Fidan, was also said to be safe, despite efforts by coup forces to storm the intelligence headquarters in Ankara.
Hours into the coup, it became clear that the military wasn’t united in attempting to overthrow the government. Key military leaders, including the chief of general staff, stood with Mr. Erdogan in defending the government. Yet gunfights around the military headquarters in Ankara continued.
A stream of opposition leaders came out and backed the democratically elected government in the nation of 79 million, a key ally in the fight against Islamic State, host to more than 2,000 U.S. military personnel and a partner stemming the flood of refugees to Europe.
The White House called on all parties in Turkey to “support the democratically elected government of Turkey, show restraint and avoid any violence or bloodshed,” shortly after President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry had spoken by phone.
The coup attempt began around 8 p.m. local time. In Istanbul, Turkish rebel troops closed the city’s landmark Bosporus Bridge, which was lit up in the colors of the French flag in solidarity with victims of the terrorist attack in Nice, France. An attack was launched on the police special forces loyal to Mr. Erdogan on the outskirts of Ankara, where explosions were heard by residents. The rebels then stormed the state-run television station and forced it off the air.
The military factions leading the coup attempt said they were seizing control to “re-establish constitutional order” as they moved to take over all government responsibilities.
But top military leaders backed Mr. Erdogan and fought back against the rebel troops, according to Mr. Yildirim, the prime minister, triggering deadly clashes. Crowds swarmed the streets in support of Mr. Erdogan, with some people lying in front of tanks in protest. The government was able to regain control of the state-run station before dawn Saturday.
Officials close to Mr. Erdogan said elements of the Gendarmerie General Command and the Air Force were behind the attempted coup. The officials said key elements of the Turkish Army and Navy remained behind Mr. Erdogan, including the First and Third armies as well as Turkish special forces.
The president, government officials and some military generals cast the coup attempt as yet another plot by the followers of Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Turkish cleric who once was a key ally of Mr. Erdogan but has in the past three years turned into his arch-nemesis.
“They have targeted [state intelligence agency] MIT, the presidency and the prime ministry,” Mr. Erdogan said in an earlier televised statement, which his spokesman said was made in a “safe” location. “They have kidnapped the secretary-general of the presidency. I speak to the military commanders: I’m sure you share the nation’s values. But maybe you have had friends among you who do not share the values of this nation. They were following orders from Pennsylvania.”
