Hundreds Dead Following Attempted Coup in Turkey

At least 265 people were killed in the violence that erupted on Friday evening as the Turkish government struggled to regain control

Turkey Coup
Gokhan Tan/Getty Images

The Turkish government has desperately attempted to regain control over the country following a failed coup attempt on Friday and has detained almost 3,000 military personnel involved in the act.

Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called the coup attempt a “stain in the history of Turkish democracy” before announcing in a news conference on Saturday that 2,839 military officers and soldiers have been detained. He also confirmed that 265 people died during the attempted coup and 1,440 people were wounded.

The coup began on Friday as military forces attempted to seize control of the country, forcing President Recep Erdogan to go into hiding. Erdogan, during a FaceTime interview, called on Turkish citizens to take to the streets to show their support for the elected government, resulting in violence on the streets between the military, Turkish police and citizens.

But by early Saturday morning, Erdogan returned to Istanbul and was greeted by a crowd of his supporters — an indication that the coup had faltered and the government was regaining control. Footage from CNN showed soldiers stationed on the Bosphorus Bridge — one of the two bridges that had been blocked off during the violence — surrendering on Saturday morning as well.

“The people have taken to the streets and voiced their support for democracy,” General Ümit Dündar, Turkey’s top military officer and the acting head of the general staff, said in a news conference on Saturday.

“The nation will never forget this betrayal,” he added.

Turkish authorities have also temporarily halted American-led strike missions against the Islamic State which were flying from Incirlik Air Base, the New York Times reported.

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