Turkey’s government defeated a coup attempt by a renegade faction of the military, restoring control on Saturday to the major cities after a night of chaos and clashes that killed nearly 200 and has plunged the already troubled country into uncertainty.
More than 100 coup plotters are now dead, acting military chief Gen. Umit Dundar said on live TV, while another 90 people – including 47 civilians – were killed as ordinary Turks poured into the streets to confront tanks amid pitched battles in the main cities. At least 1,154 were wounded, officials said.
By morning, government forces had closed in on the army headquarters in Ankara, the final stronghold of coup plotters, said a senior Turkish official who added that 1,563 members of the military have been arrested so far.
In Istanbul, the streets were largely empty after a night of gunfire, explosions and violent confrontations on the bridges and in the city’s main squares.
Turkish President appears in Istanbul to denounce army coup attempt
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has flown in to Istanbul, after an army group said it took over the country. He was seen surrounded by cheering supporters, saying in a live TV speech that the coup attempt was an “act of treason” and the army must be cleansed.
Sixty people died during overnight clashes, many of them civilians, and 754 soldiers were arrested, officials said.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the situation was largely under control. He has ordered the military to shoot down aircraft being used by coup plotters.
Earlier, one of the helicopters being flown by forces involved in the coup attempt was shot down over the capital Ankara.
Meanwhile, the whereabouts of the military chief of staff, Gen Hulusi Akar, are still unknown. He is reported to have been taken hostage by rebel soldiers. Gen Umit Dundar, commander of the 1st Army, has been appointed acting chief of staff.
Sporadic gunfire is still reported in major cities. Reports also say rebel soldiers in some areas have been surrendering their weapons to police loyal to Mr Erdogan. The surrender of one unit of 60 soldiers, who had taken control of one of the Bosphorus bridges in Istanbul, was shown live on TV on Saturday morning.
Istanbul’s main Ataturk airport is now under army control, and flights – which had been interrupted for some hours – were due to resume from 06:00 (03:00 GMT).
In a statement, the Turkish foreign ministry said the coup attempt “was foiled by the Turkish people in unity and solidarity. Our president and government are in charge”. “Turkish Armed Forces was not involved in the coup attempt in its entirety. It was conducted by a clique within the armed forces and received a well-deserved response from our nation.”
It is unclear who is leading the coup faction or how much support it enjoys. The group earlier declared that a “peace council” now ran the country and there was a curfew and martial law.
