Timeline of the attempted coup in Turkey
AFP on July 17, 2016, 1:59 am
Ankara (AFP) - More than 200 people have died in a coup attempt in Turkey, and more than 2,800 soldiers have been detained on suspicion of taking part.
Fighting in Ankara or Istanbul reached a level not seen in decades, and included the use of combat jets and tanks.
Here is a recap of the events that erupted late on Friday:
- Coup attempt starts with blocked bridges -
- At around 11:00 p.m. (2000 GMT) on Friday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim denounces an attempt to overthrow the government after bridges over the Bosphorus Strait were partially blocked by soldiers in Istanbul.
- Just before midnight, a group calling itself the "Council for Peace in the Homeland" declares martial law and a curfew as troops deploy in the country's two biggest cities.
- Jets battle tanks -
- Fighting erupts between fighter jets and battle tanks, with rebels firing at loyalist troops and crowds of civilians who have poured into the streets to support the government. Planes buzz Ankara and fire at the parliament building and a bomb explodes near the presidential palace.
- In Marmaris, western Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls on the population to oppose the coup, speaking to the nation via a cell phone link broadcast by television.
- Tens of thousands of people with Turkish flags face off against the rebel forces and climb on top of tanks.
- Erdogan says plotters committing "treason" -
- Erdogan flies back to Istanbul's Ataturk airport where a large crowd awaits, and declares that the coup plotters are guilty of "treason" and will pay a "very heavy price."
He accuses the rebels of ties to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whose Hizmet movement has a powerful presence in Turkish society, including the media, police and judiciary. Gulen, however, condemns the coup "in the strongest terms".
- Rebels surrender -
- Early Saturday, small groups of rebel soldiers begin to surrender to security forces on the Bosphorus bridge where the rebels had earlier fired at civilians.
- International condemnation of the coup pours in. US President Barack Obama urges Turks to support their "democratically-elected government" and the European Union calls for a swift return to "constitutional order."
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg hails the "strong support shown by the people and all political parties to democracy and to the democratically-elected government of Turkey," a key NATO ally.
- Situation "completely under control" -
- Acting army chief of staff, General Umit Dundar, announces that the attempted putsch has been defeated. "The situation is completely under control," Yildirim adds. Erdogan urges Turks to remain in the streets however, to prevent a possible "flare-up" of chaos.
