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15 Jul 2016: Attempted Coup in Turkey + Aftermath

"Purge" is such a so-much-harsher term than, say, "overhaul," "shake-up" or "reorg" ...
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan pledged to overhaul the army in response to last week's failed coup, a sign that a newly imposed state of emergency would be used to press on with a purge that has alarmed the West.

(...)

Erdogan told Reuters the government's Supreme Military Council, which is chaired by the prime minister and includes the defense minister and the chief of staff, would oversee the restructuring of the armed forces.

"They are all working together as to what might be done, and ... within a very short amount of time a new structure will be emerging. With this new structure, I believe the armed forces will get fresh blood," Erdogan said.

Speaking at his palace in Ankara, which was targeted during the coup attempt, he said a new putsch was possible but would not be easy because authorities were now more vigilant.

"It is very clear that there were significant gaps and deficiencies in our intelligence, there is no point trying to hide it or deny it," Erdogan said ...
 
I bet I know where Turkey will be drawing new recruits from.  They'll conveniently come with their own American made rifles (innocuously marked Property of Iraqi Army).
 
Meanwhile the Kurds have a battle hardened force who might be a match for Erdogans political troops.This happened to the Shahs Army and Russia in WW2.In both cases experienced officers were released from prison to direct the fight.
 
C'mon, pro-Russian media KNOW who did all this - this from a guy, speaking to Komsomolskaya Pravda (links to original article in Russian), saying a guy told him this ...
... - What did he tell you?

- Here's a quote: "The West, hoping to get control of the country through a military coup, as in Egypt, at first supported the coup. The putschists were not able to succeed without outside help. Only the West did not calculate that Turkish people do not accept any undemocratic process". Under the West he means primarily the United States. But it is possible that the Germans had a hand in this - they also pressured Erdogan. Don't forget, the Bundestag - the German Parliament - did not even recognize the genocide of Armenians by the Turks.

- I don't understand why the US and Germany need this coup?

- It is no secret. The main reason is rapprochement with Russia. Here's another quote from the correspondence with my source: "EU and NATO were unhappy with Turkey's rapprochement with Israel and Russia. The United States was irritated by the announcement in Turkey of Kurdish separatists in Syria being a terrorist organization while USA supported them. The positions of Ankara and Washington differed on Iraq and Syria. In dealing with refugee crisis the EU blamed Turkey, believing that it should block the flow of refugees at any cost." ...
 
Power is back on at the air base and normal flights are on going.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/07/22/incirlik-air-base-turkey/87445612/
 
Military cadets who participated in Turkish coup were duped by commanders, given ’empty weapons’

ISTANBUL — Military school cadets who were arrested following the failed coup in Turkey were unwitting participants because their commanders told them they would be attending a “surprise party” for the new head of the academy, relatives of the youths said Friday.

Standing outside the juvenile detention facility in the Istanbul suburb of Maltepe, families of about 60 cadets called on authorities to release them and put their commanders on trial instead.

The cadets were rounded up after daybreak Saturday from outside the Kuleli Military High School, one of Turkey’s largest and most prestigious academies, as the rebellion by a faction of the military fell apart.

The families said they have not been able to see the youths since their arrest, and neither have their lawyers. An official complaint was filed Thursday against the commanders by the relatives.

Nearly 10,000 people have been rounded up since the failed coup on July 15, most of them from the military. Many of those arrested apparently are from the lower ranks, including cadets. Relatives said the many of the teenagers thought they were going to take part in a training exercise.

Lawyers say 62 cadets are accused of attempting to overthrow the government, but no official charge sheet has been released yet.


Their relatives vehemently denied the youths were willing participants in a coup attempt, saying they were summoned to school from vacation by commanders who duped them into taking part in the rebellion and deploying them onto Istanbul’s streets.

One 48-year-old father said his son, a first-year student, and others were told to come to school July 15 for the reception. The son called again to say the reception was delayed and a “surprise party” for the new commander was planned, said the man, who asked to be identified only by his first name of Mustafa because he feared government retaliation.

The son later called again and said he was given an unloaded gun and told to wear a camouflage uniform and flak jacket, and stand guard outside the academy, Mustafa said.

When father and son spoke again, images of the coup were being shown on TV, but Mustafa said he didn’t want to tell him what was unfolding because he was afraid of adding to his son’s agitation.

“They are in no condition to question orders. They are young,” Mustafa told The Associated Press.

    “When they were given empty weapons and were deployed on the streets, they thought they were playing a game of soldiers.”

The father added: “A 13- or 14-year-old can’t be a traitor.”

Dozens of relatives gathered outside the Caglayan justice palace on Wednesday, seeking a glimpse of their detained relatives, mostly conscripts.


Baki, a man in his 30s, said he was looking for his brother, Mehmet, who was on his last day of military service when the coup began. Mehmet had called him on the day of the coup attempt after handing in his weapon, but he was given a new one.

“They told him there will be a field exercise,” said Baki, who also spoke on condition his full name not be used for fear of retaliation.

    “He was waiting to be released. He was a security guard at a parking garage and wanted to get back to that job.”

On Saturday, Mehmet called and said he had been detained by authorities, Baki said.

The government has not given any details of trials for the thousands who have been arrested in the week since the coup failed.

At the Maltepe juvenile detention facility, Mehmet Alkanat spoke to reporters about his detained son, Hasan.

“For three days, we have been waiting in front of prison. We can’t get any information, and we don’t know how his health is,” Alkanat said. “Please be aware of this injustice and please resolve it as soon as possible.”

more fuel for the false flag fire, a story I believe more and more every day
 
abduly85 said:
I fail to see how some armies in the middle east are "acting in the best interests of the people" when they conduct a coup d'etat? We have a clear case in point in the military junta rule in Egypt under Sisi where more than 3,500 have been killed and 10's of thousands are detained and imprisoned with no or laughable charges! Yup, that sounds like their best interest.
One thing we need to realize and appreciate is the Turkish economy. A successful military coup d'etat in Turkey would've devastated the economy. And a stable economy is really what everybody is after.

Lesser Evils, but you raise a good example. In 2013, the Egyptian army waged a coup to keep the Muslim Brotherhood from gaining power, despite a democratic election (allegedly).

I'm not saying they are saints, I'm just saying almost anything is better than radical Muslims running nations and a secular army putting them down from within is a much preferable method than many, many others.

There are greater goods than a strong economy.
 
The ROK Army has a history of coups.If the civilian led government has lost control or lost the confidence of the people the coup is the last resort.The Greeks and Thai's have had their share of coups as well.You have to remember the officer corps of many countries view themselves at the protector of the nation.
 
tomahawk6 said:
The ROK Army has a history of coups.If the civilian led government has lost control or lost the confidence of the people the coup is the last resort.The Greeks and Thai's have had their share of coups as well.You have to remember the officer corps of many countries view themselves at the protector of the nation.

It is not unknown for third world armies to see themselves as "protectors of democracy." I recall a fellow student from a West African Commonwealth country giving a presentation on a course we were both on about the army's responsibility to maintain democracy when the government began to veer towards authoritarianism. In other words, if the army doesn't like the way things are going, take over.
 
VERY granular account here of the coup unfolding, compiled from social media intercepts tracked, assembled & analyzed by bellingcat, a group of "citizen journalist"/OSINT types - loooong, but interesting.
 
Initial report caveats apply, but this is just popping up, NOT exclusively in, but playing up among, Russian-state media ...
A massive fire erupted near a NATO base in western Turkey. Authorities are investigating the fire as a possible act of anti-American sabotage.

The inferno started on Sunday evening in western Turkey. The fire blew through the grassy wooded area and is now perilously near NATO’s military base pushed forward by strong winds.

CNNTurk reports that the fire threatens a number of populated areas, and has already impacted a home for the elderly and its adjacent garden, T24 News reports. The channel also reports that anti-American "sabotage" in the wake of the attempted overthrow of the Erdogan government is suspected.

The fire threatens the Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) base at Şirinyer (Buca) in İzmir, Turkey. LANDCOM is tasked with supporting US troops to enhance reaction time and the unit is equipped to respond to international crises ...
More here (Google News).
 
This coup business has gotten more bizarre.A pro-Erdogan paper accused US Army GEN Campbell of masterminding the coup.Campbell has an alibi he was drinking beer wtih Geraldo. :D

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/07/25/turkish-newspaper-accuses-us-general-planning-failed-coup.html

The retired U.S. Army general and former NATO commander accused of masterminding the recent failed coup in Turkey has an alibi -- he was having a beer with Fox News Channel's Geraldo Rivera.

Yeni Safak, a Turkish tabloid known as friendly to the increasingly authoritarian regime in Ankara, hit newsstands Monday with a front-page blaring in Turkish “This man led the coup,” alongside a picture of U.S. Army Gen. J.F. Campbell.

It was news to Campbell, who retired in May after a distinguished, 37-year career that saw him most recently serve in both the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Campbell served as commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force from August 2014 to earlier this year.
 
Police have cut off Incirlik AFB again.Rumors of a coup being plotted or some such nonsense.

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160731/1043797161/incirlik-turkey-erdogan-nato-nukes.html
 
Here we are once again concerned about the safety of the B61 nuclear bombs at Incirlik.Why they havent been moved is a real mystery to me.

http://www.newsmax.com/PeterPry/turkey-erdogan-coup-incirlik/2016/08/02/id/741772/

Criminal complaint against 2 US Generals by a Turkish lawyer.

http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/pentagon/2016/08/02/turkeys-erdogan-blasts-foreign-countries-over-coup-reaction/87961598/

ANKARA, Turkey — A Turkish lawyer has filed a criminal complaint against two top U.S. generals, accusing them of involvement in the July 15 coup attempt by members of the Turkish military.

The complaint, which has to be accepted by Turkish prosecutors before any action is taken, was filed Tuesday and names Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. Joseph Votel, the top U.S. commander for the Middle East, and U.S. National Intelligence Director James Clapper. It alleges that the American officials conspired with a faction of the Turkish military at Turkey's Incirlik Air Base, a key hub for U.S. military air operations against the Islamic State group in nearby Iraq and Syria.

Turkish fighter jets and refueling tankers used in the coup attempt came from Incirlik, according to the complaint.

It comes just days after Votel issued an unusual statement denying the conspiracy theories that were circulated in Turkish media. "Any reporting that I had anything to do with the recent unsuccessful coup attempt in Turkey is unfortunate and completely inaccurate," Votel said in a July 29 statement issued by U.S. Central Command.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched a widespread crackdown that has included the arrest of top Turkish military officials and thousands of civilians. He recently told Votel to "know your place" after Votel expressed concern that the post-coup crackdown may affect the fight against ISIS.

Erdogan once more blasted unnamed Western countries Tuesday for what he said was support for the attempted coup that left more than 270 people dead.

"The West is supporting terrorism and taking sides with coups," Erdogan said, adding that forces unhappy with Turkey's rise as a regional power were behind the coup. "They have actors inside [Turkey] but the scenario of this coup was written abroad," he said during a speech at an event for foreign investors in Ankara.

Turkey's government says the coup was instigated by U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former Erdogan ally now living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania. Turkey has demanded his extradition, but Washington has asked for evidence of the cleric's involvement.

Erdogan complained about the U.S. request: "We did not request documents for terrorists that you wanted returned."

The government has launched a sweeping crackdown on Gulen's movement, which it characterizes as a terrorist organization. Nearly 70,000 people have been suspended from their jobs on suspicion of being involved in the movement, which runs schools, charities and businesses internationally.

Erdogan has singled out Germany for criticism, after a court there ruled against allowing him to appear on a video link to address a crowd of about 30,000 supporters and anti-coup demonstrators in Cologne over the weekend.

The president said Turkey had sent Germany more than 4,000 files on what he said were wanted terrorists, but Germany did nothing. However, he said, courts quickly decided against him speaking at the rally.

Germany's Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment, but German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel on Monday defended the court's decision as "absolutely OK and also lawful."

Erdogan also repeated a complaint that no foreign leader had visited Turkey after the failed coup, while France and Belgium received visits in solidarity after terror attacks there.

"Those we considered friends are siding with coup-plotters and terrorists," the president said.

When it was allied with Erdogan's government in the past, the Gulen movement was believed to have been behind a series of crackdowns on pro-secular figures as well as military officers accused at the time of plotting a coup. Hundreds were jailed after trials in which evidence was later found to have been fabricated. Many convictions have been overturned.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag sent a second document to the United States Tuesday seeking Gulen's arrest, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. "They requested certain information following our first letter; we provided answers to the question 'why is it urgent?'"

He added that Turkey had intelligence indicating Gulen might leave for a third country. If he does, Bozdag said, it would only be with the full knowledge of U.S. authorities.

Part of the crackdown against Gulen's network has focused on reforming the military, bringing it increasingly under civilian command. About 18,000 people have been detained or arrested, most of them from the military, and authorities have said the purge will continue.

The government has already decreed sweeping changes to the military, including giving the president and prime minister the power to issue direct orders to the force commanders.

"These arrangements won't weaken the Turkish Armed Forces, on the contrary they will strengthen them and prepare them to face all kinds of threats," Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said in an address to his ruling party legislators. "The armed forces will focus their energies on their fundamental duty."

Several countries and rights organizations have expressed concern over the scope of the crackdown, and have urged restraint.

But Erdogan insisted the purges of the civil service, military and other sectors were necessary to rout out those responsible for the coup.

"If we show pity to these murderers, to these coup plotters, we will end up in a pitiful state," he said.

On Tuesday, the Turkish Football federation said it had sacked 94 people, including a number of referees. It said the action was taken as a "necessity," without saying whether those dismissed were suspected of links to the Gulen movement.

Separately, authorities issued 98 new detention warrants, including for military doctors, a senior government official said, on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Becatoros reported from Istanbul. Military Times Pentagon Bureau Chief Andrew Tilghman contributed to this report.
 
Are we sure that they are still there, and haven't been suruptitiously moved out in the dark of night?
 
Sacking football referee's sure does do a lot to prevent another coup....good job dickhead!  Oh, I mean Erdogan.
 
Likely all are Gulen, after all the two movements were allies for years and the AKP put all the Gulen into the positions in the civil service, military, media and, yes, Football because that is far the tentacles of that party reach. 
 
Turkey has a financial crisis after Washington slaps a tariff on Turkey.Maybe they should release the pastor.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/10/turkish-lira-loss-deepens-as-pm-erdogan-calls-for-citizens-to-convert-.html   

 
tomahawk6 said:
Turkey has a financial crisis after Washington slaps a tariff on Turkey.Maybe they should release the pastor.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/10/turkish-lira-loss-deepens-as-pm-erdogan-calls-for-citizens-to-convert-.html 

If Pastor Brunson was involved in actions related to the attempted coup in Turkey, isn't it an issue for Turkey's justice system to deal with?

Regards,
G2G
 
Turkish Lawyers threaten to invade US base https://taskandpurpose.com/turkey-lawyers-threatening-incirlik/
 
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