Turkish Prime Minister Benali Yildirim says 161 people were killed in the country’s overnight military coup attempt.
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The U.S. has been flying Air Force A-10 attack planes from Incirlik base as part of its air campaign against the Islamic State. El-Sissi has led a broad crackdown on dissent since he took over, focused initially on Islamists but later expanding to secular opponents as well.
The coup attempt raised a host of critical questions at a time when Turkey is engaged in turmoil at home and with neighboring countries.
There was chaos in Istanbul as angry crowds took to the streets to boo the passing tanks, while others celebrated.
Q: Why was there a coup attempt? Speaking to his supporters, he told them to resist the coup. “I never believed in a power higher than the power of the people”.
Those who support Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan massed outside of Gulen’s compound in protest Saturday.
– Global condemnation of the coup pours in. “It hopes that Turkish democracy will emerge reinforced by this test and that fundamental liberties will be fully respected”, the statement said. The text message appears to have been sent out during the coup from Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Government officials blamed the coup attempt on a U.S.-based Islamist cleric, Fethullah Gulen. But in 2013 Erdoğan, who was then the prime minister, accused the cleric of being behind a corruption investigation into the government. His movement called Hizmet includes think tanks, schools and various media enterprises.
“Government should be won through a process of free and fair elections, not force”, he said. But Erdogan’s former ally “categorically” denied any involvement in the plot, calling the accusation “insulting”.
The government said that in all nearly 3,000 soldiers had been arrested in a major purge of the armed forces. CNN Turkey showed two military vehicles and a group of soldiers lined up at the entrance of one of the bridges in Turkey’s biggest city.
During his rare interview, Gulen said it was “possible” the coup was staged by Erdogan. Early Saturday, CNN Turk showed video of dozens of coup soldiers surrendering there. Discarded gear was strewn on the ground. People, some holding flags, climbed onto the tanks.
“Public insinuations or claims about any role by the United States in the failed coup attempt are utterly false and harmful to our bilateral relations”, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told his Turkish counterpart, according to the State Department’s readout of their telephone call. Government troops rescued a military chief who had been taken hostage at an airbase. Nearby workers using a crane repaired windows blown out by a series of sonic booms that shook the city the night before as military jets screamed overhead.
Fighting continued into the early morning, with the sounds of huge blasts echoing across Istanbul and Ankara, including at least one bomb that hit the parliament complex.
“Stand up and fight for democracy”. Turkey has also been the launching point for many Syrian refugees heading to Europe.
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European Council President Donald Tusk said the country was “a key partner for the European Union”.
