Ned Levin and Yeliz Candemir :The Turkish Coup That Wasn’t – Erdogan Reasserts Control After Attempted Coup Death toll from violence surrounding coup attempt reaches 90

Posted By on July 16th, 2016

http://www.wsj.com/articles/turkeys-erdogan-reasserts-control-after-attempted-coup-1468658670

ISTANBUL—Turkey’s elected government moved to reassert control Saturday morning after an attempted coup by factions of the military rocked the country and killed dozens late Friday, with officials saying the situation was now largely under control.

Ninety people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured in the events surrounding the coup attempt, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. A total of 1,374 military personnel were detained across Turkey as part of an investigation into the coup attempt, the agency said.

The head of Turkey’s national police told Anadolu that police were in control of Istanbul, but that the situation in Ankara, where gunfire was still heard on live television Saturday morning, was still challenging. Helicopters and airplane hangars had been bombed, said Celalettin Lekesiz, the head of police.

Istanbul, where troops had blocked two bridges over the Bosphorus and tanks appeared at the main Atatürk Airport on Friday night, was calm Saturday morning. The bridges were functioning normally, television footage showed. Turkish Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, said it was operating normally on the request of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Mr. Erdogan flew back from a vacation resort to Atatürk International Airport in his stronghold of Istanbul, where thousands defied the rebel troops and swarmed their tanks to greet him.

Speaking to live television, the president vowed to deliver a decisive blow to the coup leaders and urged civilians to resist the rebels. “Those who stain the military’s reputation must leave,” he said. “The process has started today and it will continue.”

On Saturday, small groups clumped along Istanbul’s largely deserted Istiklal Avenue, the city’s popular pedestrian thoroughfare, and in its main Taksim Square, trading notes and cellphone videos of Friday night’s events, including dramatic scenes at Istanbul’s bridges and airport.

The common sentiment was exhaustion with what many saw as just the latest in a long line of destabilizing events in Turkey. CONTINUE AT SITE

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