161 dead in coup bid, 3,000 held, says Turkish PM

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Saturday that 161 people were killed in the coup attempt against the government, with 2,839 soldiers now detained on the suspicion of involvement.

Mr Yildirim, speaking outside his Cankaya palace in Ankara and flanked by top general Hulusi Akar, who was held during the coup attempt, also described the putsch bid as a “black stain” on Turkish democracy.

He added that 1,440 people had been wounded. The toll 161 did not include the assailants, he emphasised. Turkey’s acting Army Chief Umit Dundar had earlier said 104 putschists had been killed. Mr Yildirim blamed the coup attempt on the supporters of US-based Turkish cleric Fethul-lah Gulen, who Ankara has for years accused of working to overthrow the authorities and wants to see brought to justice.

“Fethullah Gulen is the leader of a terrorist organisation,” the Premier said.

“Whichever country is behind him is not a friend of Turkey and in a serious war against Turkey,” he added.

Forces loyal to Turkey’s government fought on Saturday to crush the last remnants of a military coup attempt which collapsed after crowds answered President Tayyip Erdogan’s call to take to the streets and dozens of rebels abandoned their tanks.

A faction of the armed forces tried to seize power using tanks and attack helicopters.

Mr Erdogan accused the coup plotters of trying to kill him and launched a purge of the armed forces.

“They will pay a heavy price for this,” said Mr Erdogan, who also saw off mass public protests against his rule three years ago. “This uprising is a gift from God to us because this will be a reason to cleanse our Army.”

Many international flights to Turkey were cancelled Saturday despite efforts by the Ankara authorities to get life back to normal following an abortive coup attempt.

The US government said it has suspended all flights to Turkey, and banned all airlines from flying to the US from Turkey. Turkish authorities were seeking to resume business as usual and Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport — shut down by the plotters — was gradually reopening.