Death Toll of Turkish Coup Attempt Rises to 265, More than 1,440 People Injured

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that 2,839 soldiers and officers implicated in an overnight coup attempt have been arrested. At least 265 people have been killed, including 104 pro-coup participants, while 1,440 people were injured in military action in Istanbul and Ankara, according to RT.

 According to Yildirim, those arrested included ordinary soldiers and high-ranking officers. He added that about 20 of those who planned the overnight coup were killed and 30 more were wounded.

Acting chief of staff of the armed forces Umit Dundar said during a press conference that more than 190 people have been killed since the attempted coup was launched.

“1,563 soldiers were arrested, and 104 military who took part in the coup were killed in clashes. Ninety others were also killed, including 41 pro-government police officers, 2 pro-government soldiers and 47 civilians,” he said.

Pro-government forces have seized control of the top military HQ building, but there are still some groups of coup attempters resisting, a Turkish official said on Saturday, as cited by Reuters.

General Hulusi Akar, who heads Turkey’s armed forces, has been rescued from coup attempters”  captivity. He was the most senior military official in their hands.

A faction of the Turkish military attempted to overthrow the government on Friday night, employing tanks and attack helicopters. The coup appears to have failed, however, as they didn’t manage to capture any senior government officials and couldn’t win wide support from the Turkish military.

Erdogan called on his civilian supporters to take to the streets of Istanbul, which they did.

Addressing the Turks from Istanbul, Erdogan said that the perpetrators of the coup attempt will face severe consequences.

Earlier, Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim have separately appeared on television, declaring that the coup attempt, which started on Friday night, is over and that they continue to be in charge.

 State of Chaos

However, a state of chaos and uncertainty continues in Turkey amid the coup attempt that is, nevertheless, said by officials in the country to have been “repelled.”

Gunfire, bomb explosions and military airstrikes continue to be reported in the capital.

Fighting outside presidential palace

AFP cited NTV television as saying on Saturday that a fighter jet dropped bombs near the Turkish presidential palace in Ankara. Plumes of black smoke were seen rising over the Bestepe district where the palace is located, according to the TV.

A presidential source said Turkish F-16s were launching airstrikes against tanks outside the palace.

Reuters cited CNN Turk as saying on Saturday that Turkish authorities shot down a military helicopter firing on the offices of state satellite operator Turksat.

Coup launched

A faction of the Turkish military declared last night that it had fully seized control of the country and that Erdogan and Yildirim were no more in charge.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported a bomb explosion at the parliament building.

Soldiers and tanks took to the streets late on Friday and multiple explosions rang out throughout the night in Ankara and Istanbul, the two biggest cities of the strategic NATO member country.

Gunfire could be heard across the capital as military warplanes and helicopters were flying low over the city.

Coup ‘repelled’

Early Saturday morning, the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) said the coup attempt in the country has been “repelled” and the situation has been restored to “normal.”

Prime Minister Yildirim also announced in the early hours of Saturday morning that the situation is largely under control and that a no-fly zone was imposed over Ankara.

A number of renegade soldiers have reportedly surrendered in Istanbul.

Uncertainty continues

 “Normal,” however, does not seem to explain the situation in the country correctly.

A senior Turkish official, whose name was not mentioned in the reports, has said bomb attacks continue on the parliament building in Ankara.

The official added that “rebel” soldiers have been warned they will be shot down if they attempt to use more military aircraft.

Who’s to blame?

There are conflicting reports about who exactly the coup plotters were. Factions of the military apparently took on each other during the attempt.

Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News quoted Erdogan as telling CNN Turk that the US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen was responsible for the attempted coup.

 

Gulen, once Erdogan’s mentor, is now his enemy number one.

However, a group affiliated with the opposition Gulen Movement condemned the coup attempt against the Turkish government.

Agencies

H.M