2016 coup d'état attempt in Turkey | |||||||
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Part of Turkish government – Gülen Movement conflict | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Allegedly supported by:
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65th government of the Republic of Turkey and loyal state institutions |
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Strength | |||||||
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Casualties and losses | |||||||
24–104 putschists killed, 1 UH-60 helicopter shot down (alleged) 22 die in prison |
67 pro-government forces killed (62 police officers and 5 soldiers) | ||||||
179 civilians killed |
Coup failed
Allegedly supported by:
65th government of the Republic of Turkey and loyal state institutions
179 civilians killed
270–350 killed and 2,185 wounded overall
After the end of the coup:
15,846 detained(10,012 soldiers, 1,481 judiciary members), of which 8,133 were arrested
48,222 government officials and workers suspended
On 15 July 2016, a coup d'état was attempted in Turkey against state institutions, including, but not limited to the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The attempt was carried out by a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces that organized themselves as the Peace at Home Council. They attempted to seize control of several key places in Ankara, Istanbul, and elsewhere, but failed to do so after forces loyal to the state defeated them. The Council cited an alleged erosion of secularism, the elimination of democratic rule, a disregard for human rights, and Turkey's loss of credibility in the international arena as reasons for the coup. The government accused the coup leaders of being linked to the Gülen movement, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the Republic of Turkey and led by Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish businessman and cleric who lives in Pennsylvania, United States. Erdoğan accuses Gülen of being behind the coup—a claim that Gülen denies—and accused the United States of harboring him. Events surrounding the coup attempt and the purges in its aftermath reflect a complex power struggle between Islamist and ultranationalist elites in Turkey.