194 killed in quashed Gülenist coup attempt: Military

A bloody coup attempt by a large number of soldiers, including high-ranking generals was quashed by the security forces on July 16 as hundreds of thousands of civilians hit the streets across the country against the rebel soldiers in a night that put a black mark on Turkish democracy.

Only Chief of General Gen. Staff Hulusi Akar was saved among the top commanders held hostage by the Gülenist coup attempters, as whereabouts of others remained unknown, said deputy Chief of Staff Ümit Dündar on July 16.

The air force’s command, the gendarmerie command and some units from the armored forces took part in the coup attempt, he said, adding that it was quashed.

As coup attempters lost almost all key governmental, military and private buildings they occupied as of July 16, Turkey’s top soldier Gen. Hulusi Akar, who was taken hostage by the coup attempters at the General Staff headquarters in Ankara with other leading commanders, was freed at the Akıncılar Air Base through an operation.

However, six of a group of around 5,000 civilians, who tried to enter the base in a reaction to the coup, were killed by the rebel soldiers.

Akıncılar was apparently was the base that plotters used as one of their centers to command.

• Erdoğan’s hotel bombed

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was also a target of the coup attempters as a number of helicopters bombed a hotel where he was accommodating in the Aegean resort town of Marmaris only less than two hours after the president left the place for coming to Istanbul to address a large public meeting at Istanbul’s Atatürk International Airport.

Police and soldiers clashed at the hotel and at least one police officer was killed there.

A Turkish F-16 jet controlled by coup-attempters also dropped bombs on a spot near the Presidential Palace in Ankara early on July 16, leaving five people dead, according to broadcaster CNNTürk.

Erdoğan told the broadcaster in a phone interview that a "minority group" in the military has attempted a coup...
  [hurriyetdailynews.com]
16/7/16
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• Soldiers that have taken over the Chief of General Staff Headquarters are trying to negotiate to surrender, the state-run Anadolu Agency reports.

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• Gov’t appoints 1st Army Commander as the acting chief of staff 

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