Turkey foiled a military coup, arrested 2,839 participants and killed 161 people.
On July 16, on a bridge in the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, people celebrated after the coup soldiers surrendered to the police.
On July 16, in Ankara, Turkey, people gathered outside the parliament building to protest against the military coup and called on Turkey to return to peace as soon as possible.
Some soldiers of the Turkish military launched a military coup on the evening of the 15th local time, and explosions and fierce exchange of fire occurred in Ankara, the capital, and Istanbul, the largest city. The Turkish military announced at noon local time on the 16th that it had officially foiled the coup attempt.
Turkish Prime Minister Yildirim said at a press conference on the 16th that the attempted military coup had caused 161 deaths and 1,440 injuries, and the authorities had arrested 2,839 coup participants.
Analysts pointed out that the attempted coup was the result of the struggle between secular forces and religious forces in Turkey. After this incident, the position of Turkish President Erdogan may be further consolidated, the country’s religious power may be further strengthened, and the relationship between Turkey and the United States may be affected in the short term.
The government quickly took control of the situation.
On the evening of the 15th local time, two major cities in Turkey suddenly experienced abnormal situations: gunshots were heard from the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces in the capital Ankara; Many fighters flew low from the center of Ankara, and tanks took to the streets; From time to time, huge explosions and fierce gunshots were heard throughout the city, and some buildings of the Turkish parliament were bombed; The gendarmerie closed two bridges in Istanbul, the largest city, and tanks appeared on the bridges. Turkish Prime Minister Yildirim later confirmed that some officers of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces staged a military coup.
The coup soldiers once took control of Turkish national television and issued a statement. An organization calling itself the "National Peace Council" declared in a statement that the coup soldiers have taken control of the Turkish government, taken over the state power, imposed a curfew nationwide and implemented military control laws. However, some military generals later said that only a handful of soldiers participated in the coup. The troops loyal to the government quickly launched a counterattack, and more than 750 soldiers suspected of participating in the coup were arrested. The Turkish government soon said that it had "basically controlled the situation."
Anadolu News Agency of Turkey reported that about 200 disarmed coup soldiers walked out of the General Staff Building of the Turkish Armed Forces on 16th and surrendered. Hulusi acar, chief of general staff of the armed forces, who was previously controlled by the coup soldiers, was rescued in an operation and then sent to a safe place. After being rescued, acar took over the security operation against the coup.
According to media reports, mutinous soldiers on a bridge in the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul surrendered to the police. Istanbul Ataturk International Airport, which was once closed, was controlled by pro-government soldiers shortly after the arrival of Turkish President Erdogan, and flights have resumed.
At present, the roaring of fighter planes is no longer heard in Ankara, the military coup tends to subside, and the troops supporting the Turkish government have basically controlled the situation.
The presidential resort hotel was attacked.
Due to the sudden incident, Turkish President Erdogan rarely used his mobile phone to respond to the coup plot. "We will solve this incident … … I firmly believe that the coup plotters will not succeed. " Erdogan said in a video posted on the social networking site "Facebook" by mobile phone, "I call on the Turkish people to gather in public squares and airports. I never think that there is any power higher than the people’s power."
A few hours ago, Erdogan was on vacation in the coastal city of Marmaris, and immediately moved to a safe place after learning the news of the coup. According to Erdogan, after he left, his resort hotel was attacked and his secretary was hijacked by coup soldiers.
Arrest 2,839 participants
General Dindar, acting as Chief of General Staff, held a press conference at noon on the 16th to announce the progress of the authorities’ actions against the coup plot. When Dindar announced that he had foiled the coup plot, he stressed that the final action was still going on, and "some commanders" were hijacked by the coup soldiers and taken to "unknown places".
Dindar said that the swift response of the authorities made the coup a failure, and Turkey "closed the chapter of the coup and won’t let it open again".
According to Dindar, the coup was mainly initiated by the Air Force and the Gendarmerie, and was rejected by the top military officials from the beginning. Dindar said that the authorities have made up their minds to eliminate the disloyal remnants in the army, and "anyone who betrays the country will be punished".
Turkish Prime Minister Yildirim said that at present, the Turkish government has completely controlled the situation. A total of 2,839 people involved in the military coup were arrested, including some senior officers, and 20 rebel soldiers were killed.
Erdogan posted a message on Twitter, a microblog website, on the 16th to remind people to guard against possible new threats.
"No matter what stage (coup) develops, we should continue to occupy the streets tonight," Erdogan said, "because new conflicts may break out at any time."
"Gulen members participated in the coup"
Erdogan accused the events in Turkey of being "riots" and "betrayals", said that he would "eliminate" the coup plotters within the army and vowed to make the coup plotters pay a "huge price". Erdogan once again accused the "Gulen Movement" led by Fethulla Gulen, a Turkish exile in the United States, of leading the coup on the grounds that members of the "Gulen Movement" led by him also participated in the coup. He called on the people to take to the streets to support the government and called on all Turkish soldiers not to point their guns at "their mother" and the country.
According to Erdogan, "some people" in the Turkish army have been "following the instructions from Pennsylvania".
On the same day, Turkish Minister of Justice Bechir Bozdag said in a television interview that members of the "Gulen Movement" were found to be involved in the coup.
In this regard, Gulen firmly denied it in a brief statement and condemned the coup in the "strongest way". The Common Value Alliance, an organization closely related to Gulen, also issued a statement condemning the coup attempt and accusing the Turkish government of being "very irresponsible" in linking the coup with Gulen.
affect
Domestic and foreign affairs will be affected.
Although the coup was unsuccessful, it may still have a certain impact on Turkey’s domestic political situation and the trend of diplomatic relations.
Experts believe that this attempted military coup may further consolidate Erdogan’s position.
Dong Manyuan, vice president of China Institute of International Studies, said that Erdogan has been seeking to expand the presidential power in recent years. After this incident, he will have greater advantages in changing from cabinet system to presidential system, amending the constitution and further restricting the military power.
Chu Yin, a researcher at China and Globalization Think Tank, believes that after the failed coup, the military’s influence in Turkey’s domestic political field will be ended, and Turkey may become more religious, which will lead to the intensification of the contradiction between secular forces and religious forces. In this context, Erdogan may take some tough measures, especially to strengthen the fight against Kurdish separatist forces in Turkey, in order to win public support.
On the diplomatic front, Turkish-American relations are likely to be affected to some extent. Although US President Barack Obama publicly expressed his support for the Turkish government, Mike mccall, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee of the US House of Representatives, said in an interview with the US media that the US military has maintained a good relationship with the Turkish military. "If there is a coup in Turkey and it is successful, I think it is necessary to promote this relationship to safeguard our position as Turkey’s NATO ally."
Cui Shoujun, a researcher at the National Development and Strategy Institute of Renmin University of China, pointed out that Turkey has always been a close ally of the United States during the Cold War. After Erdogan came to power, the economy developed rapidly and the comprehensive strength of the country continued to increase; Carry out religious reforms in politics; Diplomatically, it emphasizes its status as a big country in the Middle East, and its foreign policy autonomy is constantly strengthened. The difference between the secularization of Turkey and the secularization of the United States is the deep-seated reason for the cold relationship between the two sides.
In the near future, the United States’ support for Kurds is the direct cause of the twists and turns in the relationship between the United States and Turkey. The United States provided weapons to the Kurdish armed forces to help them fight the "Islamic State" extremist organization, but Turkey believed that the Kurdish armed forces were terrorist organizations.
Zuo Xiying, a researcher at the National Development and Strategy Institute of Renmin University of China, said that in the short term, this military coup may have a certain impact on Turkey-US relations, which may make the United States reassess the political stability in Turkey and have a certain impact on the anti-terrorism cooperation between the two countries. But in the long run, this effect should not be too serious.
analyse
Why is there another coup?
Why is there a coup in Turkey? Experts believe that this is mainly the result of the struggle between secular forces and religious forces in Turkey.
It is not uncommon for military personnel to be involved in politics in Turkish history. In 1960, 1971, 1980 and 1997, the military launched many military coups or took "forceful intervention" actions to overthrow the government or force it to step down.
Chu Yin, a researcher at China and Globalization Think Tank, believes that this coup can be said to be the resistance of the Turkish military as a representative of secular forces. Religious forces have a broad popular base in Turkey, which is a long-term contradiction with the secularization policy pursued by Turkey after the founding of the People’s Republic. The frequent coup d’ é tat in the history of the Turkish military is actually a constant "political restart" to release the pressure brought by the contradiction between secular forces and religious forces.
Dong Manyuan, vice president of China Institute of International Studies, believes that this military coup reflects the dissatisfaction of Turkish secular forces, including the army, with the Justice and Development Party controlled by Erdogan. The soldiers who launched the coup decided that the Justice and Development Party was leading the country away from secularization, which was one of the main reasons for the Turkish military’s repeated coups in history.
Dong Manyuan pointed out that the common feature of several coups in Turkish history is that the chief of general staff of the army and the commanders of the four services of land, sea, air and gendarmerie reached an agreement, which was premeditated and planned, with strong action. However, the coup was different: first, the leader was not a high-level general; second, the number of participants was limited; third, it was obviously gambling, so it quickly failed. It can be expected that Erdogan will strengthen the control and purge of the army in the next step, and the opposition forces will be hit hard.
Dong Manyuan believes that there are two main reasons why this action is difficult to succeed: on the one hand, under the leadership of the Justice and Development Party, Turkey’s social and cultural life in recent years has not completely deviated from the secular road, and Turkey is still a country with separation of church and state; On the other hand, the Erdogan government did not make a big mistake in its administration.
Chu Yin also believes that the failure of this coup is almost inevitable. First of all, a group of high-ranking generals of the Turkish military who opposed Erdogan were basically eliminated a few years ago. The coup soldiers did not have strong leadership and were leaderless; Secondly, the political environment of Turkey has fundamentally changed. The success of the Turkish military in the past coups was due to the weak government power at that time, while the ruling Justice and Development Party is strong and has a strong public opinion base.
reaction
The international community calls for restraint.
After the incident, many international organizations and countries expressed concern about the incident and called on all parties to remain calm and restrained and avoid violent conflicts.
On the 16th, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement through a spokesman, calling on all parties in Turkey to remain calm and restrained and avoid violent conflicts. He stressed that military interference in state affairs is unacceptable, and it is very important to recognize civilian governance and constitutional order through peaceful means according to democratic principles.
In a joint statement, EU Council President Tusk, European Commission President Juncker and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Mogherini expressed their support for the Erdogan government and called on the Turkish government to "quickly return to normal" after the incident.
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg called on all parties in Turkey to remain calm and restrained, and to respect Turkey’s democratic system and constitution, and stressed that Turkey is an important NATO member.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said that China pays close attention to the situation in Turkey and hopes that Turkey will restore order and stability as soon as possible.
US President Barack Obama called on all parties in Turkey to support the democratically elected government, show restraint and avoid violence or bloodshed.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov called on all parties in Turkey to avoid bloody conflicts and stressed that the problems facing Turkey must be solved in a constitutional way.
Britain, France, Greece and other countries have also expressed their close attention to the development of the situation and issued suggestions for their citizens to travel to Turkey.
Coup timeline
— — At 3: 50 on the 16th, two bridges in Istanbul, the largest city, were closed, gunshots sounded in the capital Ankara, and military planes and helicopters circled in the air.
— — 4: 02 pm: Prime Minister Binali Yildirim confirmed to Turkish NTV TV that there was a coup plot.
— — 4: 47: The official Anadolu News Agency reported that General acar, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, was taken hostage by coup soldiers at the General Staff.
— — 5: 05: The controlled Turkish Radio and Television Association (TRT) TV station issued a statement drafted by the coup soldiers. A military group calling itself the "Peace Committee of the Motherland" declared in a statement that it had taken over the political power.
— — 5: 26: President Erdogan, who is on vacation, is interviewed by CNN Turkish Channel through mobile phone video calling software, calling on people to take to the streets and gather in public squares and airports to show their support for the government.
— — 7: 52: Prime Minister Yildirim said that the situation is now "basically under control" and a "no-fly zone" has been declared over the capital Ankara. He also accused Fethulla Gulen, a religious figure in exile in the United States, of being the mastermind behind the coup.
— — 9: 00 sharp: President Erdogan flew to Istanbul Airport. He said that the rebellion endangered the unity and unity of Turkey, and the coup soldiers would pay a huge price.
— — 9: 20: There have been several explosions in the Turkish Parliament building in Ankara. Speaker Ismail Kahraman said that the latest explosion caused several policemen to be injured, but all the members were in the refuge area of the Parliament building and were temporarily safe.
— — 12: 15: CNN Turkish Channel reported that umit Dindar, Commander of the First Army, was appointed as Acting Chief of Staff.
— — 13: 35: Turkish media reported that General acar, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, was successfully rescued in an air base near Ankara; 754 soldiers have been arrested. The Turkish police department said that 16 planners of the military coup were killed.
— — 14: 45: Turkish official news agency reported that about 200 soldiers in Ankara surrendered to the police.
— — 16: 40: President Erdogan called on people to stay in the streets on Twitter, "We should continue to occupy the streets tonight", reminding that the situation may escalate again. Acting Chief of General Staff Dindar said that 104 people involved in the coup were killed.
— — 17: 02: Turkish Minister of EU Affairs Ogmel celik said that the coup was "90% under control", but some army commanders were still taken hostage.
— — 17: 20: Premier Yildirim said that at least 161 people were killed, 1,440 were injured and 2,839 military personnel were arrested, including a group of senior officers, excluding the coup soldiers. Several key members of the coup have also been arrested.
— — 17: 54: Greek officials said that a Turkish military helicopter landed in northern Greece, and eight soldiers on board asked for political asylum. The Turkish Foreign Ministry asked the Greek side to extradite eight people to Turkey.
— — 18: 23: Greek military sources said that the supporters of the coup took control of a frigate at the Gurguk naval base in Turkey and took the commander of the fleet hostage.
— — 18: 54: The Turkish navy reopened the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul to oil tankers.
— — 19: 45: Turkish NTV TV reported that the Turkish Supreme Council of Judges and Prosecutors decided to dismiss 2,745 judges. Anadolu News Agency reported that five members of the committee were also dismissed.
(The pictures and texts in this edition are all according to Xinhua News Agency except the signature)