The failed coup in Turkey has seen President Erdogan interrupt his holiday and launch a crackdown against the military and justice system.
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He also addressed the country on CNN-Turk from an undisclosed location through the iPhone application FaceTime, saying the uprising was by a “minority within our armed forces”, before returning.
Nationalists waved the country’s flag and stood atop abandoned tankers near government buildings that were bombed and shot by militia trying to oust Erdogan.
While that pragmatic approach is likely to continue as Erdogan shores up global support after the coup attempt, the president has often lashed at out his Western partners, questioning their commitment to democratic values and alleging that Kurdish militants enjoy refuge in some European countries.
“Please meet our request if we are strategic partners”, Erdogan said in remarks delivered in Istanbul.
Erdogan was on a seaside vacation when tanks moved into the streets of Ankara and Istanbul but flew home early Saturday.
One day earlier, he issued a statement condemning, “in the strongest terms, the attempted military coup in Turkey”.
Flights into Istanbul’s worldwide airport have resumed after being halted for almost 24 hours by the failed coup attempt.
Thats what you call people’s resistance – Way to go Turks – take a bow. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he spoke to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and called for respect for democracy.
“They [Gulen supporters] were like a tumor within the military, and now this tumor is being removed”, he added. Around 160 people were martyred in the ensuing violence.
Soldiers push each other to board a bus to escape the mob after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey July 16, 2016.
Throughout Friday and Saturday, more than one thousand were injured. More than 150 people were killed and more than 1,000 wounded after the military took over state TV and declared martial law.
HUGE: Crazy footage shows helicopters firing a target on the ground in Ankara. It endured three military coups between 1960 and 1980. The most recent was after the government had changed prime ministers 11 times during the 1970s. “If its president has completely regained control, which I think is the case, we shall have a period of considerable calm, but there will probably be repression”, Hollande said after visiting the French foreign ministry’s crisis center.
The United States, emphasizing the importance of its alliance with Turkey’s current leadership, expressed support for the democratically elected government as the violence unfolded.
The back-and-forth occurred against the backdrop of Turkey closing its airspace, effectively grounding US warplanes that had been targeting Islamic State forces in neighboring Syria and Iraq. “The President requested continued updates, as the situation warrants”.
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Erdogan, appearing on television over a mobile phone, had urged supporters into the streets to defend the government – and large crowds heeded the call.
