Military Coup In Turkey?

Turkey is in the middle of a military coup and here is a statement that's been released by the military:

Update - The army is now in control.

  • TURKEY ARMED FORCES SAY THEY'VE TAKEN CONTROL OF COUNTRY
  • TURKEY ARMED FORCES: TOOK CONTROL TO RESTORE FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY
  • TURKEY ARMED FORCES: WE GUARANTEE VALIDITY OF ALL INTNL DEALS
  • CAVUSOGLU: WE WILL PROTECT DEMOCRACY UNTIL THE END
  • TURKISH WARPLANES FLY LOW OVER CAPITAL ANKARA
Full statement:


Turkish Armed Forces have completely taken over the administration of the country to reinstate constitutional order, human rights and freedoms, the rule of law and the general security that was damaged. All international agreements are still valid. We hope that all of our good relationships with all countries will continue.
 

It should be noted that Turkey has been becoming increasingly Islamist with journalists being arrested, social media being blocked, etc. Erdogan and his sons have also been accused by Russia of being involved in oil sales for ISIS as well as leaving their borders quite porous thereby allowing the easy movement of ISIS and other terrorists who have been fighting in Syria.

Let's not forget too that they shot down that Russian jet for the sake (maybe) of 5 seconds over Turkey and lauded the murder of the ejecting pilot by the Turkish national. Not only that, but an investigation into that incident by the government and into the alleged oil sales was shut down within a week of it commencing, all suspects freed and the Turkish MP who brought it to the world attention (that the investigation had been shut down) was arrested.

In the last week or so, Erdogan did apologize to Russian President Putin for that incident and Russia's reaction (take note those who think Russia is an invading monster) was to shut down tourism to Turkey from their end (instead of escalating to a military incident as I suspect was the hope of Erdogan (and NATO perhaps?). Apparently the decision of Russia to no longer allow citizens to go to Turkey for holidays has significantly impaired their economy because of the loss of tourism which is why he offered the apology.
 
This reminds me of the "Arab Spring" which we supported although it wasn't so much "Arab" as it was "Muslim Brotherhood". Erdogan seemed to be trying to take the nation back to the Ottoman Empire. The military is more secularist - a better deal for us and Europe I would think.
 
Okay, yep I think it will remain fluid for the next little bit don't you? Our news hadn't mentioned anything like that. They were talking like it's over. So I guess we'll have to give it a few days to see what the true situation will be.
 
One thing the U.S. needs to be cautious of is the USAF base at Incirlik. This base has been the home plate for the airstrikes against ISIS, and is said to have a stock pile of tactical nuclear weapons. If there was an attack on this base, it could make the situation in the Middle East much more serious, and even disastrous.
 
It is very unclear what influences are at play here. The current government is the first Islamist one since Ata Turk established a secular constitution. The army has always been the defenders of the secular state.

This article suggests a new influence spreading through the Turkish institutions. It has US connections in the form of an exiled cleric (?)

Turkey coup: What is Hizmet, the group accused of driving the uprising?

Sat 16 Jul 2016, 11:48am

A group affiliated with US-based Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen has been accused of being behind the attempted military coup.

Turkish President Recap Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly accused the Gulen movement, more commonly known as Hizmet, of attempting to instigate an uprising among the cleric's followers in the judiciary and the military.

Mr Erdogan and Mr Gulen were once allies but have been in open conflict since a corruption probe targeting Mr Erdogan's inner circle in 2013, which Mr Erdogan blamed on Mr Gulen.

The influential cleric is now in self-imposed exile in the United States.

Mr Erdogan has accused the cleric of establishing a "parallel" structure in the state through his supporters in the judiciary, police and other institutions, and of wielding influence through the media.

Mr Erdogan, whose AK Party was elected in 2002, introduced many democratic reforms in his first years in power and curbed army involvement in politics. NATO allies often cited Turkey as an example of a successful Muslim democracy, but critics later accused Mr Erdogan of intolerance of dissent and, increasingly, a divisive reversion to Islamist roots.

He has cast the battle against Mr Gulen's Hizmet (the Service) network as a continuation of Turkey's "normalisation", a struggle to root out anti-democratic forces, and said Turkey's democratic standards were rising.

However Hizmet on Saturday condemned the attempted coup in Turkey.

"For more than 40 years, Fethullah Gulen and Hizmet participants have advocated for, and demonstrated their commitment to, peace and democracy," the Alliance for Shared Values said in a statement. "We have consistently denounced military interventions in domestic politics. These are core values of Hizmet participants. We condemn any military intervention in domestic politics of Turkey."

The group said it did not wish to speculate on the unfolding crisis in Turkey and denounced as "highly irresponsible" comments by Erdogan's supporters concerning the Muslim cleric's possible involvement in the coup attempt.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-...-blamed-on-fethullah-gulen-and-hizmet/7634836
Click to expand...
 
This is why it's a bad idea to only allow the military to have guns
Click to expand...
.:yeahright: cos civilians armed with guns are so effective against tanks and helicopter gunships.

In the case of Ankara it was the police who subdued and arrested the rogue military people.
Police are civilians and all police have access to guns if required to use them.
In addition to guns it is imperative to have a well trained cadre of people who are disciplined and know what the situation requires.

The average citizen does not have this level of discipline or training.
 
A few folks are starting to question this whole thing. Some interesting points.

1. Apparently some of the soldiers are saying they thought this was an exercise and they were never given any orders to shoot at anyone.
2. Convenient the Erdogan had a big speech ready to go when it was appropriate and a list of names of people he was going to purge.
3. Usually in coupes like this, the leader is the one they go after immediately and either he's killed or imprisoned. Why did no one try to shoot down Erdogan's plain when he flew into Istanbul?
4. Some are suggesting that this was an arranged coup so that Erdogan could get rid of key people that were no longer useful/effective/obedient.
5. Now he's 'locked up' American weaponry at that base in (can't remember the name). No one in or out.
6. The military there are of a more secular bent whereas I'm pretty sure that I've heard that he's been working towards a more Islamist society.

So what is really going on?
 
Debby said:
A few folks are starting to question this whole thing. Some interesting points.

1. Apparently some of the soldiers are saying they thought this was an exercise and they were never given any orders to shoot at anyone.
2. Convenient the Erdogan had a big speech ready to go when it was appropriate and a list of names of people he was going to purge.
3. Usually in coupes like this, the leader is the one they go after immediately and either he's killed or imprisoned. Why did no one try to shoot down Erdogan's plain when he flew into Istanbul?
4. Some are suggesting that this was an arranged coup so that Erdogan could get rid of key people that were no longer useful/effective/obedient.
5. Now he's 'locked up' American weaponry at that base in (can't remember the name). No one in or out.
6. The military there are of a more secular bent whereas I'm pretty sure that I've heard that he's been working towards a more Islamist society.

So what is really going on?
Click to expand...

Given the general state of governments in the Middle East, anything being reported in the media is probably just speculation. It may be days, or weeks, before a clear picture of this uprising is known.
 
I was watching the news this morning and apparently the coup has been stopped. They called on the citizens to come out in the street and protest and the people did. I saw the video on it and there were tons of citizens in the streets. I guess the people know what they want.
 
Debby said:
3. Usually in coupes like this, the leader is the one they go after immediately and either he's killed or imprisoned. Why did no one try to shoot down Erdogan's plain when he flew into Istanbul?
Click to expand...

Colonel Gaddafi changed the blueprint a bit in '69, by launching his coup when Libyan King, Idris had left the country to receive medical-treatment (ironically, in Turkey). And the coup was successful. Maybe that kind of ouster tamps-down the anger of the former-leader's supporters. Their hero is alive, he just can't gain entry to his Country.

As far as not shooting-down Erdogan's plane... is one more example of how ill thought-out the coup was. Plus, as bad as it sounds, they probably would've needed to display his dead body after the coup, to stifle the rumor-mill. A fiery plane-crash most likely wasn't a prime option.
 
Dupe Murkland said:
Colonel Gaddafi changed the blueprint a bit in '69, by launching his coup when Libyan King, Idris had left the country to receive medical-treatment (ironically, in Turkey). And the coup was successful. Maybe that kind of ouster tamps-down the anger of the former-leader's supporters. Their hero is alive, he just can't gain entry to his Country.

As far as not shooting-down Erdogan's plane... is one more example of how ill thought-out the coup was. Plus, as bad as it sounds, they probably would've needed to display his dead body after the coup, to stifle the rumor-mill. A fiery plane-crash most likely wasn't a prime option.
Click to expand...


There are many who are wondering if this is a false flag operation by Erdogan. It happened too suddenly, was over so quickly and he had a list of judges and military who were out within hours. Not only that, but with the military (and all their weaponry telling people there was a curfew and then Erdogan telling them to get out in the streets and protest.....was he very confident that the military wouldn't start gunning down civilians? I have learned over the last two or three years of watching all of the shenanigans in the ME and Europe to not take anything at face value. It may look like a coupe on the face of it, but there is in all likelihood far more going on that we don't see or won't see until down the road. Don was exactly right in his previous post I think.
 
Debby said:
A few folks are starting to question this whole thing. Some interesting points.

1. Apparently some of the soldiers are saying they thought this was an exercise and they were never given any orders to shoot at anyone.
2. Convenient the Erdogan had a big speech ready to go when it was appropriate and a list of names of people he was going to purge.
3. Usually in coupes like this, the leader is the one they go after immediately and either he's killed or imprisoned. Why did no one try to shoot down Erdogan's plain when he flew into Istanbul?
4. Some are suggesting that this was an arranged coup so that Erdogan could get rid of key people that were no longer useful/effective/obedient.
5. Now he's 'locked up' American weaponry at that base in (can't remember the name). No one in or out.
6. The military there are of a more secular bent whereas I'm pretty sure that I've heard that he's been working towards a more Islamist society.

So what is really going on?
Click to expand...

I saw reports of a fake coup as well. Along with reports of shaming today. He might of gotten word of dissatisfaction and like any paranoid head of state he tested loyalty, with a coup and hundreds killed and/or injured. He's already purged 3,000 officials?

This type of leadership allows the religious zealots to fragment and fester their agenda simply because no one is their to challenge them.
 
It's an insane situation isn't it? I just heard that 6000 now are detained and his supporters are calling for the death penalty and it sounds like he'd happily go along with it 'because in a democracy you listen to the people'.
 
The US used to love plotting and pulling off coups but we might not have been involved in this one...
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top