— Opinion —

BREAKING: Military Coup In Turkey Against Islamist President. Here’s Everything You Need to Know.

By  Ben Shapiro
•
   DailyWire.com
•

UPDATE XVI (6:00 PM PT): There has reportedly been a bombing at Ataturk Airport:

UPDATE XV (5:50 PM PT): Erdogan is about land at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul. This is historically unprecedented. The Islamist strongman has effectively crushed the coup. Erdogan has done what has eluded the Shah of Iran, Mubarak of Egypt, Gaddafi of Libya, and Saddam of Iraq.

The coup plotters have reportedly detonated a bomb at theTurkish parliamentary building in Ankara. See video below:

Erdogan may be returning back to Turkey.
National police loyal to Erdogan have reclaimed control of government buildings. A handful of military officers have sworn fidelity to the regime. It looks like the coup is winding down. Erdogan will likely return to Ankara and seize power again. The regime will undoubtedly crush dissent with an iron fist. Military officials captured by the regime will be jailed or executed swiftly. Prepare for a further Islamization of Turkey.

UPDATE XIV (4:40 PM PT): The coup looks to be dragging to its conclusion with Erdogan still in power.

This is legitimately the worst option: Erdogan, an authoritarian Islamist, will now use the coup as an opportunity to further purge the military and consolidate his strongman regime. A failed coup is often worse than no coup at all; certainly, that appears to be the case here.

The violence continues:

UPDATE XIII (4:10 PM PT): In more evidence that the coup may be put down, President Obama has finally come down on the side of the Islamist strongman Erdogan:

UPDATE XII (4:00 PM PT): The coup looks to be going badly. CNN now reporting that Erdogan’s senior advisor says he’s is in Istanbul:

There are media reports that the police say they have arrested 25 of the coup’s leaders. Also, a fighter jet has reportedly shot down a military helicopter:

Police, loyal to Erdogan, have also been killed by members of the military:

UPDATE XI (3:50 PM PT): Violence escalating:

UPDATE X (3:42 PM PT): As we await more reports, it’s clear that the elected political establishment in Turkey doesn’t like the coup:

UPDATE IX (3:20 PM PT): It’s unclear whether the entire military or just a rogue faction within the military is behind the coup.

Eyewitnesses are reporting numerous gunfire battles between police (famously to Erdogan) and military forces. This coup attempt could either be an uprising from the Gulen movement within the military, or it could be a full-scale military coup against the Erdogan government.

Now Erdogan is using the mosques to call out Muslims to fight against the coup:

Reports of violence against protesters on the Bosphorus bridge, too:

UPDATE VIII (3:10 PM PT): As always, the White House was caught off guard and is holding a “snap meeting,” presumably to determine which YouTube video is responsible for all of this chaos.

A reporter for The Guardian says that the military have attacked intelligence centers — resources under Erdogan’s control:

Reuters reports that tanks have opened fire around parliament:

The US Embassy is telling Americans to shelter in place:

In a bizarre turn of events, Erdogan says there was no attempt against his autocracy:

The main Turkish opposition party is also rejecting the coup attempt:

There are also reports that certain elements of the army will not go along with the coup:

UPDATE VII (3:00 PM PT): Violence is reportedly now breaking out in Ankara.

Meanwhile, Sky News Arabic is reporting that the Turkish chief of staff has been killed:

UPDATE VI (2:50 PM PT): There are sporadic reports emerging that Germany may deny Erdogan asylum.

Germany’s relationship with Turkey has been tenuous since the Syrian civil war created a mass refugee crisis. German Chancellor Angela Merkel struck a deal with President Erdogan to absorb millions of refugees in exchange for hard cash and an apparent promise to reconsider Turkey’s inclusion in the European Union.

The Daily Wire reported on the Faustian bargain in May:

By appeasing Erdogan, Merkel hopes to ensure that Turkey keeps its commitment to stemming the flow of refugees into the European continent. As the gatekeeper of Europe, Merkel has shouldered the brunt of the responsibility for the the region’s uncontrollable refugee crisis. Seeking absolution, Merkel has strong-armed the EU into making a Faustian bargain with Turkey.

“The European Union has promised to give Ankara €6bn [roughly $6.7 billion] to help the estimated 2.7 million Syrians now stuck on Turkish soil It will also become easier for Turks to get European visas, and the EU will pay greater lip-service to the idea of Turkey becoming a member state,” according to The Guardian.

In its desperation, the EU has struck a deal with a devil and Erdogan is taking full advantage, exploiting Merkel for all she’s worth. Merkel’s Sultanic Bargain, as Politicocalls it, has showed the world that a “neo-Ottoman autocrat’s temper tantrum concerns far more than the livelihood of this single German comedian.”

Merkel has set a profoundly dangerous precedent, one that threatens to unravel the very fabric democratic Europe. “Europe’s cavalier attitude toward this kind of rising authoritarianism on its eastern border is more than just strategic indifference — it’s symptomatic of a steady erosion of core civil liberties within the EU itself,” notes Foreign Policy.

Western leaders have already abandoned the people of Turkey, turning a blind eye to Erdogan’s scorched earth campaign to purge his country of dissent. From shutting down domestic newspapers to roughing up reporters internationally, Erdogan and his loyalist thugs have taken Turkey back to the Ottoman era, reversing years of democratic reforms initiated by the country’s famous founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

UPDATE V (2:40 PM PT): President Erdogan has just issued a statement on Facetime, which isn’t a good sign for Erdogan loyalists. It looks like he’s in hiding. In a show of defiance, he’s urging “citizens” to take to the streets and fight back against the military.

Here’s the video.

Wow, Erdogan giving his statement on @cnnturk via… Facetime. #Turkey https://t.co/4ssRw7dHdQ pic.twitter.com/C3lSrRQlAu

— Jake Godin (@JakeGodin) July 15, 2016

Recent reports suggest he may be attempting to flee the country:

MSNBC has reported that Germany may be denying him permission to land there, as well. Perhaps they are finally sick of accepting refugees via Turkey.
UPDATE IV (2:30 PM PT): Iran responds to unfolding situation in Turkey:
Turkish opposition parties, including the MHP, are signaling support for Erdogan government. Civilians and Erdogan loyalists are taking to the streets and challenging the Turkish military’s national curfew. The Turkish military is relaying all of its messages via the state broadcaster. President Erdogan is set to speak shortly.
Erdogan says he’s still in control…via Facetime. That isn’t particularly convincing, given that he was in control of state television just hours ago.
Some crowds are cheering the tanks as they roll down the streets to remove the Erdogan regime:
UPDATE III (2:20 PM PT): Istanbul is in complete disarray. Residents are reportedly pulling cash out of their bank accounts as fast as possible. Turkey’s economy is going to go haywire very soon. Traffic is blocked in Ankara and Istanbul as the Turkish military set up checkpoints and curfews. .

The Turkish military has carried out coups before, four times in recent history, according to CNN’s Jim Sciutto. Historically, Turkey’s military has been a guarantor a secular-leaning democracy. Many suspect this is a Kemalist uprising, with the secular military taking control away from an increasingly Islamist Erdogan.

The Erdogan administration continues to deny it has lost control of the country.

The position of the United States military in Turkey is precarious at the moment. US military assets may leave voluntarily or determine that the military poses no threat. US officials are scrambling to contact all their back-channels in the region. Top White House national security advisors are likely in the midst of an emergency meeting.

During a press conference in Moscow, Sec. of State John Kerry answered a reporter’s question about the coup attempt in Turkey. “There will be stability, peace, and continuity,” Kerry suggested, refusing to delve into further detail.

UPDATE II (2:10 PM PT): The Telegraph (UK) reports that one of the military’s top generals, Hulusi Akar, has been taken hostage by the military elements seeking a coup. Erdogan’s office reports to Reuters that Erdogan is safe.

UPDATE I (2:00 PM PT): Residents of Istanbul and Ankara have reported gunfire and military activity throughout the city. Helicopter were heard hovering around the National Intelligence building. From what it looks like at the moment, intelligence services fighting on behalf of the Erdogan government appear to be clashing with the Turkish military.

Turkish soldiers have blocked two of the country’s two busiest bridges across the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul. The strait sits at a crossroads between East and West and serves as a locus of commerce around the Mediterranean.

The Turkish PM initially called the uprising an “attempted coup.” He’s now calling it “mutiny.”

The Turkish military has released a written statement claiming that it has taken “full control of government” across country. The Turkish military wants to have good relations with the rest of the world, read the statement. “This is intended to restore human rights and democracy.”

Turkey is the only Muslim-majority NATO ally. Over the last few years, Erdogan’s AKP party has been adopting draconian policies and repressing political dissent to the dismay of opposition and human rights groups.

Michael Rubin of the American Enterprise Institute predicted a coup just months ago:

The situation in Turkey is bad and getting worse. It’s not just the deterioration in security amidst a wave of terrorism. Public debt might be stable, but private debt is out-of-control, the tourism sector is in free-fall, and the decline in the currency has impacted every citizen’s buying power. There is a broad sense, election results notwithstanding, that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is out-of-control. He is imprisoning opponents, seizing newspapers left and right, and building palaces at the rate of a mad sultan or aspiring caliph. In recent weeks, he has once again threatened to dissolve the constitutional court. Corruption is rife. His son Bilal reportedly fled Italy on a forged Saudi diplomatic passport as the Italian police closed in on him in an alleged money laundering scandal. His outbursts are raising eyebrows both in Turkey and abroad. Even members of his ruling party whisper about his increasing paranoia which, according to some Turkish officials, has gotten so bad that he seeks to install anti-aircraft missiles at his palace to prevent airborne men-in-black from targeting him in a snatch-and-grab operation.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

On Friday, the Turkish government acknowledged what they described as a coup attempt by a subgroup within the Turkish military against Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. At approximately 9:30 PM local time, the Turkish military stated that it had overthrown Erdogan and taken control of the country in a non-violent coup. The state-run radio and television outlets have been taken by the Turkish army as well:

The military has occupied the airport.

İSTANBUL-BAYRAMPAŞA ŞUAN pic.twitter.com/AhjuOTA5Kl

— HZ. ENES (@Ayyinemikeder) July 15, 2016

Tanks were spotted at the airport as well:

Flights out of Istanbul have been severely delayed.

At the same time, F-16s were seen flying extraordinarily low over the city:

Right now in the skies of #Ankara, fighter jets flying low. Please let this be some sort of training, I’m scared. pic.twitter.com/GBOIZL1sNZ

— Marina Lourenço (@lourenco_marina) July 15, 2016

The government has utilized heavy measures to restrict media activities, so very little information has escaped the country. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have all been shut down by the government.

Nonetheless, Gabriel Turner, 23, told the UK Telegraph:

Earlier today there were police everywhere. I thought that was normal but the two Turkish girls I was with told me it wasn’t normal. We were walking around the centre of Istanbul, at the Grand Bazaar there were police at every entrance and exit with lots of guns.

“A police helicopter was flying very low at sunset, it was about 8pm. It looked like it was searching for something. Later on, at about 10.30 I was in Karakoy, a bar area in the city centre and everyone started looking at their phones. A man who owns the bar told us that the army are taking over everything.

“Then we walked down towards the a quieter area by the sea. While we were walking, my friend said the army had closed bridges across the Bosphorus. We could see army helicopters in the sky.

President Erdogan assumed that office in 2014, but became Prime Minister of the country in 2003. He is an Islamist who has moved away from Turkey’s historic secularism, has significant ties with terrorist groups including Hamas, and has been soft in the battle against ISIS, pursuing policies domestic critics have blamed for a domestic spike in terrorism. Erdogan has attempted to purge the military of secular figures he sees as a threat. The military has been an influence for secularism since the days of Kemal Ataturk.

There has also been a spike in so-called Gulenist activity within the military — followers of the imam Muhammed Gulen, a far more moderate Muslim than Erdogan. Gulen was an ardent and outspoken opponent of Erdogan’s terror flotilla to Hamas in Gaza, for example. Gulen wrote regarding Islam in 2015 in The Wall Street Journal:

Governments in the Muslim world must design school curricula that nurture democratic values. Civil society has a role in promoting respect and acceptance….Finally, it is imperative that Muslims support equal rights for women and men. Women should be given opportunity and be free from social pressures that deny their equality.

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