#TurkeyCoupAttempt : 60 killed & 754 Detained as Turkish Military Coup Fails
On Friday, 15th, July 2016, a fraction of Turkish military — branded as the “Peace at Home Movement”, launched a coup attempt aimed at toppling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, which eventually fail.
According to several top media houses such as CNN, BBC, CNBC and others reported that major infrastructures in the Turkish capital, Istanbul, were closed down including the city’s main airport and fighter jets were spotted in the skies.
The coup leaders, who claim to speak for the entire Turkish Armed Forces, said they have done so in the name of protecting democracy — despite the fact that Erdogan and his party were democratically elected. “Turkish Armed Forces have completely taken over the administration of the country to reinstate constitutional order, human rights and freedom,” the statement said.
However, in an telephone to CNN, the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that he remained leader of the country and the head of its army.
Since the fight broke out, the state-run news agency Andalou agency reports that Turkish authorities have detained 754 members of the armed forces after the coup attempt that used tanks and attack helicopters to try to overthrow the government.
They also report that an official in the president’s office has put the number of people illed at 60 people.
The attempt to overthrow Erdogan’s government would ultimately fail, owing to the determination of government supporters, who trooped out to the streets to protest and fight back.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/ Gokhan Tan/ Defne Karadeniz/Bella Naija