Military coup underway in Turkey - or is it?

[Jayjay]

Something seems to be going on:

Turkey's PM has denounced an "illegal action" by a military "group", with bridges closed in Istanbul and aircraft flying low over the capital, Ankara.

Binali Yildirim said the military action was not authorised but it was not a coup. He said that the government remained in charge.

Traffic has been stopped from crossing both the Bosphorus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges in Istanbul.

There are reports of gunshots in the capital Ankara.

Tanks are also said to be stationed outside Istanbul airport.

Mr Yildirim told NTV television by telephone: "We are working on the possibility of an attempt. We will not allow this attempt." He did not elaborate.

"Those who are in this illegal act will pay the highest price," he added, saying it would not be correct to describe the move as a "coup".

Turkey is no stranger to military coups, last one was in 1997. But since then the constitution has been changed and Erdogan has been busy neutering the military and filling other positions such as the police and courts with his own cronies. If there is indeed a coup attempt going on, it might just be last desperate attempt from generals of yesteryear to try to regain their dwindling relevance.

Or it could be a false flag for Erdogan to purge the military and further solidify his position. After all this is a guy who restarted the war with Kurds just to nullify the election results last year. Who the heck knows. Or maybe it's all just rumours and FUD.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Europe needs to build a wall around that place and make Turkey pay for it.

 

[Draconis]

It's a coup according to some news sources.

 

[whichphilosophy]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/l...b08239dbab7958#block-57895263e4b08239dbab7958

Turkish military broadcasts on state TV amid coup reports


An announcement on the Turkish state broadcaster TRT says that a curfew has been declared across Turkey and that airports are closed. The announcer says they are being made to read a statement by the military.

The statement promises a new constitution for the country and says that democracy and the secular rule of law had been undermined. Martial law has also been imposed, it adds.

It will be interesting to know whether the political leaders are arrested and who is put in charge, presumably before an election.

 

[Jayjay]

I don't think it'll get that far. Erdogan has a lot of popular support, especially in the countryside. Even if the coup might be initially succesful, which is not at all certain yet, it'll be facing a bunch of allahu-akbar shouting lunatics, assisted by ISIS and other fringe elements from Syria and Iraq. It's going to be yet another clusterfuck of epic proportions.

EDITED TO ADD: Fastest prediction ever to come true:

https://twitter.com/Souria4Syrians/status/754066725776289793/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

The difference between a coup and an attempted coup.........

 

[Sarpedon]

Is whether they are able to get the leader, which they apparently haven't. Erdogan used some non standard social media to call on turkish people to take to the streets.

Update: Erdogan and family allegedly in Iran, bound for Qatar. Without popular support, and without neutralizing Erdogan, I would not put money on the Coupsters.

 

[Deepak]

Turkish military coup

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2016/jul/15/turkey-coup-attempt-military-gunfire-ankara

Looks like they're responding to the suspension of the Turkish Constitution and likely the litany of lawsuits Erdogan has been levying against the populace.

Erdogan, while on 'vacation', is asking for civilians to take to city centers and airports to show support (read: be human shields for the police).

Oh dear, oh dear...

 

[Jayjay]

People trying to overrun military positions and are being mowed down. This will not end well.

 

[whichphilosophy]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2016/jul/15/turkey-coup-attempt-military-gunfire-ankara

It's not certain at this point (per the guardian) whether this is organised by the Army command or a group of officers. There is one short video of what appears to be a police arrest of a soldier.

 

[Jayjay]

Obama and Kery have now called for all parties to support the "democratically-elected" government in Turkey. This sounds like US has reckoned that the coup will fail and are positioning themselves on the winning side.

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

Obama and Kery have now called for all parties to support the "democratically-elected" government in Turkey. This sounds like US has reckoned that the coup will fail and are positioning themselves on the winning side.

Wouldn't it be bad form to not support the government of a NATO ally?

 

[Jayjay]

Obama and Kery have now called for all parties to support the "democratically-elected" government in Turkey. This sounds like US has reckoned that the coup will fail and are positioning themselves on the winning side.

Wouldn't it be bad form to not support the government of a NATO ally?

It might. But Turkey has had multiple coups while being a NATO member. If it looked like the coup could succeed, the statement from Kerry & Obama might as well as said just the "government" or "institutions" or something as round as that.

By the looks of it, the coup is going to fail and give Erdogan the opportunity to cleanse the military once and for all, as well as shut down whatever other opposition media and organizations there may be. Turkey is going to take a giant step towards being an islamist shithole.

 

[Jayjay]

Soldiers in Taksim square have surrendered, Erdogan allegedly landed at the Ataturk airport. I guess it'll be wrapped up soon. It would have been better if there had not been a coup attempt at all, but since there was, I suppose a swift ending to it is the best of bad outcomes. Or second best: I wish Erdogan had caught a bullet somewhere along the excitement.

 

[Ford]

Soldiers in Taksim square have surrendered, Erdogan allegedly landed at the Ataturk airport. I guess it'll be wrapped up soon. It would have been better if there had not been a coup attempt at all, but since there was, I suppose a swift ending to it is the best of bad outcomes. Or second best: I wish Erdogan had caught a bullet somewhere along the excitement.

I've got a feeling that if the coup has failed, Turkey will be worse off. Traditionally the military has been the method to "right the ship" when it stops being the secular republic established by Ataturk. If they've failed, then they're too weak to stop someone like Ergdogan from becoming more dictatorial - which is what I suspect he'll do next. This will give him an excuse to consolidate his power even faster.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

So who is/was trying to overthrow the government?

But if my instincts are right, it's all Obama's fault... wait no. It's Hillary's fault now.

 

[Jayjay]

Apparently it was some part of the military, not even the top brass but a few people lower down the command chain.

Of course, conspiracy theorists are always going to find a way to blame the CIA or NATO somehow.

 

[whichphilosophy]

Apparently it was some part of the military, not even the top brass but a few people lower down the command chain.

Of course, conspiracy theorists are always going to find a way to blame the CIA or NATO somehow.

The CIA and NATO have been involved in regime change but there is nothing at this stage to suggest any type of involvement from these agencies. Conversely the US has stated that Turkey is an important ally in the region.

Different reports are coming in all the time and it's not sure how many troops were actually involved.

http://news.trust.org/item/20160715202915-erczs

 

[Deepak]

Obama and Kery have now called for all parties to support the "democratically-elected" government in Turkey. This sounds like US has reckoned that the coup will fail and are positioning themselves on the winning side.

Wouldn't it be bad form to not support the government of a NATO ally?

Not at all - if the current government is in violation of Article 2 of the NATO treaty, then it would be bad form to support the current government simply because they are in power.

Apparently it was some part of the military, not even the top brass but a few people lower down the command chain.

Of course, conspiracy theorists are always going to find a way to blame the CIA or NATO somehow.

The CIA and NATO have been involved in regime change but there is nothing at this stage to suggest any type of involvement from these agencies. Conversely the US has stated that Turkey is an important ally in the region.

Different reports are coming in all the time and it's not sure how many troops were actually involved.

http://news.trust.org/item/20160715202915-erczs

When has la CIA or NATO intervened in the internal politics of a fellow NATO member?

 

[whichphilosophy]

Wouldn't it be bad form to not support the government of a NATO ally?

Not at all - if the current government is in violation of Article 2 of the NATO treaty, then it would be bad form to support the current government simply because they are in power.

Apparently it was some part of the military, not even the top brass but a few people lower down the command chain.

Of course, conspiracy theorists are always going to find a way to blame the CIA or NATO somehow.

The CIA and NATO have been involved in regime change but there is nothing at this stage to suggest any type of involvement from these agencies. Conversely the US has stated that Turkey is an important ally in the region.

Different reports are coming in all the time and it's not sure how many troops were actually involved.

http://news.trust.org/item/20160715202915-erczs

When has la CIA or NATO intervened in the internal politics of a fellow NATO member?

The CIA and NATO have interfered (rather than intervened) in other countries in the past but there is nothing to suggest this is the case here at this stage. Since Turkey is also in NATO, such an event seems more unlikely.