Turkey

[NickSTFU]

Turkey

Hard to say, but those soldiers were restrained considering they were armed.

I wonder if they really believed in what they were doing.

I wonder if their commanding officers just ordered them move, without really briefing them and when they realised what was going on thought fuck this.

It's fucking strange.

[Borracho]

Turkey

There are reports all over the place of soldiers having been lynched by mobs last night. And some very ominous-looking pictures on social media of them covered in blood and having the shit beaten out of them.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Turkey

I've heard the same from others. It's not a surprise, particularly, but it's still pretty hideous.

[via vicaria]

Turkey

NickSTFU wrote: Hard to say, but those soldiers were restrained considering they were armed.

I wonder if they really believed in what they were doing.

I wonder if their commanding officers just ordered them move, without really briefing them and when they realised what was going on thought fuck this.

It's fucking strange.

Much of Turkey's army is made up of conscripts. It's more than likely that they were just following orders given, rather than believing in a coup per se. As the situation progressed and they find themselves faced with civilian resistance, it's understandable there would be confusion and a reluctance to escalate the situation.

[ursus arctos]

Turkey

Reports that over 2700 judges ave been removed from their posts.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Turkey

Erdogan is obviously going to use this mercilessly.

[anton pulisov]

Turkey

He also now wants to reintroduce the death penalty as a measure deal with the coup participants. I'm sure they'll be tried by his own judges as well.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Turkey

The death penalty will come back for those involved in the coup and then it will be used against other opponents of Erdogan, starting with some Kurds.

I'll bore you all again and say that this was orchestrated by Erdogan to get himself even more power.

It all seems too choreographed to many people.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Turkey

Satchmo Distel wrote: Have the solders who surrendered on the bosphorus bridge been lynched by the crowds there? BBC has photo of blood on the bridge. Very nasty if so.

They've had their throats cut.

[NHH]

Turkey

It seems a peculiarly risky type of strategic genius to incite people to undertake a coup; things can go very, very wrong quickly. And equally, difficult to see how people would be pawns in a power grab which will see them executed for it.

Strikes me likelier that a group of people have it necessary ready to move against Erdogan, and they've failed, and Erdogan isn't going to waste a crisis.

What I'm not clear about is whether the coup leaders were Kemalists or Gunelists. The statement about the motives seemed classic Kemalist, but that doesn't mean anything.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Turkey

Yeah the "false flag" narrative doesn't have a lot to commend it.

[Bruno]

Turkey

I don't know much about coups, but it boggles my mind that you'd start one without making step one the arrest of the leader you wanted to depose.

[anton pulisov]

Turkey

He is a paranoid megalomaniac who built a massive palace for himself. You can be sure that he has quite an elaborate security detail.

[Bruno]

Turkey

I.e. maybe have a rock solid plan for getting past that.

[Reed John]

Turkey

This is so distressing.

[Satchmo Distel]

Turkey

One soldier beheaded, others attacked while police tried to protect them.

[NickSTFU]

Turkey

via vicaria wrote:

Hard to say, but those soldiers were restrained considering they were armed.

I wonder if they really believed in what they were doing.

I wonder if their commanding officers just ordered them move, without really briefing them and when they realised what was going on thought fuck this.

It's fucking strange.

Much of Turkey's army is made up of conscripts. It's more than likely that they were just following orders given, rather than believing in a coup per se. As the situation progressed and they find themselves faced with civilian resistance, it's understandable there would be confusion and a reluctance to escalate the situation.

Well,this is what I'm getting at. In the Turkish context to stage a coup surely you would use elite units, commando's, para's, or SF. Reliable professionals who believe in what they are doing as much as the leaders. Not citizen soldiers. Those poor buggers.

Like I said strange.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Turkey

3 helicopters were buzzing his place last night but never landed. Weird.

[Geoffrey de Ste. Croix]

Turkey

Were the coup plotters advised by Labour's PLP?

[DCI Harry Batt]

Turkey

Geoffrey de Ste. Croix wrote: We're the coup plotters advised by Labour's PLP?

Everyone knows Eagle was put up to it by Corbyn.

[ad hoc]

Turkey

NHH wrote: It seems a peculiarly risky type of strategic genius to incite people to undertake a coup; things can go very, very wrong quickly. And equally, difficult to see how people would be pawns in a power grab which will see them executed for it.

Strikes me likelier that a group of people have it necessary ready to move against Erdogan, and they've failed, and Erdogan isn't going to waste a crisis.

What I'm not clear about is whether the coup leaders were Kemalists or Gunelists. The statement about the motives seemed classic Kemalist, but that doesn't mean anything.

Not a single Turkish person of my acquaintance thinks this was anything but an Erdogan plot. (and that amounts to a lot of people). I imagine the thinking is that his agents got into a cell of people who would be naturally willing to launch a coup if they thought it could succeed and somehow encourage them to do so.

[via vicaria]

Turkey

Granted it amounts to only a circle of 20-25 people, however all my Turkish acquaintances are of the same opinion as ad hoc's and le dragon's about who is behind this coup.

NHH's thoughts (that a group did indeed move against Erdogan) are where mine would personally fall, but the opinions of acquaintances are quite consistent by the sounds of things.

[anton pulisov]

Turkey

All five of the Turks I know also think it was an Erdogan plot.

[Bruno]

Turkey

I'm friends with one Turkish immigrant here in Cleveland, a doctor. He too suspects an Erdogan plot and says everyone he's talked to back home thinks the same.

[matt j]

Turkey

I don't know what to think, but this is so depressing. (One of the most intelligent and beautiful young women I ever met as a teenager was a Turkish women. Even then (24 or so year ago) she feared a fundamentalist government.)

Also, google took me to this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sledgehammer_(coup_plan)

which I'd not heard of before.