He said about 20 of the people who planned the overnight coup in Turkey were dead and 30 more were wounded, adding those who formed the back bone of coup plotters were detained. He finally addressed the nation from an undisclosed location, speaking on his cellphone’s FaceTime app – a dramatic scene that seemed to suggest a man on the grip of losing power.
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Inside NATO, Turkey is a key partner, the second largest military in the Alliance, while holding its strategic south-eastern front on both the Black Sea and Mediterranean shores.
The coup attempt has also been roundly condemned internationally.
What Is a Constant Cycle of Violent News Doing to Us?
Erdogan wants to change Turkey’s constitution, which was installed in 1980 following the last successful military coup, to adopt an American-style presidential system which would give him greater power.
However, the president’s former ally “categorically” denied any involvement in the plot, calling the accusation “insulting”.
Gamal Eid, a prominent rights lawyer who has been banned from travelling overseas, said on Facebook that since the coup has failed, pro-democracy activists could return to criticizing Erdogan and “his animosity toward the media”.
“We congratulate the Turkish government…for the victory of the Turkish people and the government they elected”, said a statement issued in the name of the Free Syrian Army (FSA). “Any factions attempting to use force to undermine Turkish democracy should stand down immediately and refrain from any acts of violence”, Dion said in a statement Friday night. And obviously we would invite the government of Turkey, as we always do, to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny.
“The United States views with gravest concern events unfolding in Turkey”.
Turkish authorities have closed the airspace around Incirlik airbase in the southern part of the country, according to CNN.
By Saturday, some global flights – mostly through Turkish Airlines – were reported to be landing at Ataturk, including planes from San Francisco, Bangkok and Bucharest. Turkey’s renewed offensive against Kurdish militants – who seek more autonomy and are implacable foes of IS – has complicated the USA -led fight against the Islamic State group.
The damaged parliament building is seen in Ankara, Turkey, July 16, 2016.
Dogan News Agency reported the national police directorate had summoned all police to duty in Ankara.
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 television outside Ataturk Airport.
The sound of F16 fighter jets screaming low over the capital Ankara signalled the start of the putsch late Friday, with troops also moving to block the two bridges across the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul. The government also moved on a military school in Istanbul, arresting dozens.
“All airline carriers, regardless of country of registry, are prohibited from flying into the United States from Turkey either directly or via third country”, the embassy said. Some, quietly, had even hoped they would. Erdogan urges Turks to remain in the streets however, to prevent a possible “flare-up” of chaos. “Whichever legal measures need to be taken we will discuss [them] with other party leaders”. But from the beginning, it was not clear who within the military was behind the coup attempt, or how widespread support was in the military.
Turkey is also 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 a year ago for the biggest influx of migrants to Europe since World War Two.
Mr. Kerry said it was not surprising that the United States and Turkey’s other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies had not been aware of the coup before it occurred. “It surprised everybody, including the people in Turkey”.
“We haven’t received any request with respect to Mr. Gulen”, Kerry told reporters. Video footage from one of those bridges appears to show rebel soldiers firing on civilians after Erdogan called on Turks to take to the streets in defense of the elected government.
He said all USA embassy personnel had been accounted for and the United States was working to determine that all of US citizens were taken care of and protected.
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“Turkey is in a lot of turmoil and many officers [are] now under arrest”.
