A Coup Attempt Fails in Less Than 24 Hours

From early Saturday morning, it became clear that a faction of the army's coup attempt in Turkey had failed. The effort to change the government in the 'classic' Turkish way was not welcomed by any group. Supporters of the government gradually took to the streets and headed towards strategic points in major cities. The relatively small number of them indicated that none of the civilians supported the rebellion. Since Friday evening, leaders of three major parties in parliament condemned any coup attempt, referring to the 'bitter experience' of four previous coups, the last of which occurred in 1993, and stated that 'the government is elected by the people and can only be changed through elections, not coups.' Even former allies and later critics of Erdogan, such as Abdullah Gul, the former president, and Davutoglu, the former prime minister, emphasized support for the legitimate government and elections. Overall, it seems that the role of the police and other security institutions, such as the rapid reaction force of the Ministry of Interior, was significant in the government's superiority over the army. In most cases, soldiers, who were often very young and unaware of the behind-the-scenes operations, allowed the police to disarm and arrest them after minor exchanges of fire. Parliament representatives gathered overnight in the parliament building, which, like other government buildings and strategic areas such as state radio and television and telecommunications in Turkey, was targeted by army helicopters and F-16 fighter jets. There was no access to phones or many radio and television networks for several hours, and government officials encouraged people to resist through the television channels that were still accessible. By the end of the day, the arrest of rebellious soldiers, commanders, and senior officers involved in the coup began. Reports at the time of writing indicated the arrest of 800 military personnel, including five army generals and 29 colonels. Erdogan, the president of Turkey, after returning to Istanbul, promised to restore order in the shortest time possible and punish the 'traitors.' The reopening of Ataturk International Airport and the resumption of flights on Saturday was a sign of the beginning of a new day. From the very beginning of the coup, Erdogan and other government officials introduced a small 'rogue' group in the army as responsible for the incident, stating that Fethullah Gülen, an exiled Turkish cleric, supported them. The government labeled these individuals as members of a 'terrorist group' attempting to overthrow the legitimate elected government of the country. In fact, Gülen's supporters have infiltrated the army, police, education system, and judiciary in Turkey over the past two decades. In 2011, Erdogan's government attempted to remove Gülen's supporters from the structure of the government, media, and economic sphere, despite the fact that they had helped Erdogan gain power in 2000 and in subsequent elections. It seems that the July 15 coup in Turkey was an attempt by the 'Gülen group' that did not receive visible support from other government opponents. Reports from Friday night indicated that General Hulusi Akar, the Chief of General Staff of the Turkish army, along with several commanders of this force, had been detained by the coup plotters at the headquarters in Ankara. This news was published while the sound of gunfire was still heard in the building of this headquarters. However, in the early hours of Saturday, news emerged about the rescue of General Akar from the coup plotters and his assumption of leadership in operations against the army rebels. This event determined the fate of the coup and was the last part of a failed coup that left at least 160 casualties. Official reports state that the leadership of this failed coup was held by an army colonel, similar to the successful coup of 1960. If we are to judge honestly, the Turkish army has never sought to gain power and has always opened the way for elections. However, Turkey has changed significantly since 1960. The first lesson from the recent failed coup in Turkey is that most Turkish citizens oppose military coups against an elected government.