Turkey defeats the bloody coup attempt
Turkey defeats the bloody coup attempt
ISTANBUL — Turkey’s government defeated a coup attempt by a renegade faction of the military that pummeled government and security institutions overnight with fighter jets, restoring some control on Saturday after hours of chaos and clashes that killed at least 265 people and plunged the already troubled country into further uncertainty.
More than 100 coup plotters are now dead, acting military chief Gen. Umit Dundar said on live TV, while another 161 people — including civilians and police were killed as ordinary Turks poured into the streets to confront tanks amid pitched battles in urban areas. At least 1,440 were wounded, officials said.
“The situation is completely under control,” Prime Minister Benali Yildirim announced early afternoon on Saturday, adding that more than 2,800 Turkish members of the military have been arrested and calling the attempt “a dark stain for Turkish democracy.”
