Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan declared he is in control of the NATO member country early Saturday as loyal military and police forces fought to squash a coup attempt during a night of explosions, air battles and gunfire that left dozens dead.
A faction of the armed forces attempted to seize power using tanks and attack helicopters, some strafing the headquarters of Turkish intelligence and parliament in Ankara, others seizing a major bridge in Istanbul.
At least 194 people were killed in clashes, Gen. Umit Dundar told a press conference. He said that figure included 47 civilians, 41 police officers, two soldiers and 104 alleged coup plotters.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim later said that 1,440 people had been wounded and 2,839 military personnel detained during what he described as a “dark stain on Turkish democracy.” He also pinned blame for the coup on the “parallel terrorist organization.”
The coup attempt crumbled after crowds answered President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s call to take to the streets and dozens of rebels abandoned their tanks. Government officials blamed the unrest on a Pennsylvania-based Islamist cleric Fethullah Gulen. However, pro-Gulen Alliance for Shared Values said it condemned any military intervention in domestic politics.
A successful overthrow of President Tayyip Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey since 2003, was on vacation on the country’s southwest coast when the coup was launched, appeared to accuse the coup plotters of trying to kill him.
He added that the rebels “will pay a heavy price for their treason to Turkey,” according to a transcript of his remarks provided by his office to The Associated Press. “Those who stain the military’s reputation must leave. The process has started today, and it will continue just as we fight other terrorist groups.”
President Barack Obama urged all sides in Turkey to support the democratically elected government. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he spoke to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and called for respect for democracy.
The coup attempt began late Friday, with a statement from the military saying it had seized control “to reinstall the constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms, to ensure that the rule of law once again reigns in the country, for law and order to be reinstated.”
After serving as prime minister from 2003, Erdogan was elected president in 2014 with plans to alter the constitution to give the previously ceremonial presidency far greater executive powers.
Turkey has enjoyed an economic boom during his time in office and has dramatically expanded its influence across the region. However, opponents say his rule has become increasingly authoritarian.
