Turkey’s prime minister says a group within Turkey’s military has engaged in what appeared to be an attempted coup. An opposition MP told Reuters parliament was hit three times and that people had been wounded.
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President Erdogan has denounced the failed coup as an “act of treason” and warned those behind it “will pay a heavy price for their treason to Turkey”. In reference to the FAA message, the embassy said that the United States airline carriers were prohibited from flying to or from Istanbul and Ankara airports.
Erdogan immediately pinned the blame on “the parallel state” and “Pennsylvania” – a reference to Pennsylvania-based cleric Fethullah Gülen, his arch-enemy whom he has always accused of seeking to overthrow him. Mr. Gulen’s followers were known to have a strong presence in Turkey’s police and judiciary, but less so in the military.
In the worldwide arena, Erdogan recently sought to patch up disputes with Israel and Russian Federation, and to lend stronger support to US -led efforts against the Islamic State group after being accused of tolerating the flow of foreign extremists and weapons from Turkey into Syria. If you have the courage, come back to your country.
Turkey’s North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies lined up to condemn the coup attempt.
What Is a Constant Cycle of Violent News Doing to Us?
Government officials blamed the coup attempt on a US -based Islamist cleric, Fethullah Gulen.
“I categorically deny such accusations”, Gulen said in a statement.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the perpetrators of Friday’s failed coup “will receive every punishment they deserve”, and the government said it would take steps toward extraditing a US -based cleric it accused of fomenting the uprising.
On Saturday, Turkey’s state-run news agency said the commander of the country’s second army was arrested in connection with the coup. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged all sides to support Turkey’s democratically elected government and Obama held a meeting with his national security advisers.
Turkey accuses Fetullah Gulen of being behind the coup and called for him to return to Turkey to face trial.
Turkey plays a key role in USA -led efforts against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. “Among them are high-ranking military officers”. A coup against the democratically elected government could have made it hard for the United States to continue to cooperate with Turkey. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he spoke to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and called for respect for democracy. Yildirim vowed the coup attempt would not succeed. Television footage showed some soldiers, naked from the waist up, being put on a bus in Istanbul.
An estimated 265 people had been killed as of Saturday morning, 161 of them were reportedly civilians, police and soldiers. Footage showed abandoned military clothing and helmets along the bridge.
At least 2,745 judges were removed following a decision of the High Council of Judges, NTV reported.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was forced to speak to media via Facetime during the coup, said in a statement: “The government is in control. If you dare, come back to your country”, Erdogan said.
The splits within the security forces and the chaotic scenes on the streets revealed a society polarized between supporters and opponents of the deeply controversial Erdogan, whose autocratic behavior has alienated some segments of Turkish society but who remains hugely popular among his core constituents.
Kerry said the United States understood that in Turkey “things are now calm and order is being restored”.
Turkey is a member of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation – a big military union whose members also include the UK and United States.
Russian Federation also suspended passenger flights to the country on the orders of President Vladimir Putin, TASS news agency said. “It surprised everybody, including the people in Turkey. It does not appear to be a very brilliantly planned or executed event”. He did not specifically name the United States, which Ankara has previously said it hopes will extradite Gulen.
Kerry also urged USA citizens in Turkey to stay indoors and to be in touch with family and friends.
Erdogan was on a seaside vacation when tanks rolled into the streets of Ankara and Istanbul.
Political turmoil has engulfed Turkey for months.
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Reporting was contributed by Safak Timur from Istanbul, Melissa Eddy from Berlin, Gardiner Harris from Luxembourg, and Eric Schmitt from Washington.
