Türkiye marks decade since FETO's defeated July 15 coup attempt

Türkiye observes Wednesday the 10th anniversary of the July 15, 2016 failed coup attempt carried out by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), which sought to topple the government through military force and left 253 civilians and security personnel dead. The terrorist network, led by US-based Fetullah Gulen who died in October 2024, had spent decades infiltrating state institutions including the Turkish Armed Forces while presenting itself as a religious movement to mask its covert activities.

Gulen called on his followers within the military to stage the takeover during a televised appearance on March 19, 2016, with senior civilian and military members finalizing preparations through meetings in both Türkiye and the United States. Adil Oksuz and Kemal Batmaz presented the detailed coup plan to Gulen in the US before returning to Türkiye days before the operation, according to official accounts.

Exposure and Acceleration

The organization accelerated its plans following the Justice and Development (AK) Party's victory in the Nov. 1, 2015 elections, anticipating the removal of FETO-linked officers through upcoming Supreme Military Council decisions. Hours before the planned operation, a major serving at the Army Aviation Command informed the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) that FETO members were plotting to detain then-MIT Undersecretary Hakan Fidan, prompting urgent alerts through the chain of command.

Then-Chief of the General Staff Hulusi Akar ordered military aircraft back to their bases and closed the airspace after receiving the warning through then-Deputy Chief of the General Staff Gen. Yasar Guler. Realizing their plans had been exposed, the plotters moved their operation forward from 3:00 a.m. on July 16 to 8:30 p.m. on July 15, deploying military vehicles across Ankara and occupying strategic sites while issuing martial law orders.

Night of Defiance

Staff Sgt. Bulent Aydin became the first fatality when he was shot at the General Staff Headquarters as coup forces seized the Bosphorus Bridge and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge in Istanbul and flew F-16 fighter jets at low altitude over Ankara. The plotters bombed the Police Aviation Department and the Special Operations Department in Golbasi, attacked the MIT compound in Yenimahalle and seized state broadcaster TRT to force the reading of their declaration.

At 12:24 a.m. on July 16, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared live on CNN Turk and urged citizens to take to the streets, prompting thousands to confront armed soldiers despite repeated attacks. Staff Sgt. Omer Halisdemir, acting on orders from Special Forces Commander Lt. Gen. Zekai Aksakalli, shot coup Brig. Gen. Semih Terzi as he arrived to seize the Special Forces Command before being killed by accompanying soldiers, according to military accounts.

Suppression and Aftermath

The coup plotters also bombed the Turkish Grand National Assembly twice and attacked TURKSAT facilities while loyal security forces worked to regain control of key installations. Then-Prime Minister Binali Yildirim authorized Lt. Gen. Ziya Kemal Kadioglu to shoot down aircraft controlled by the putschists as police retook TRT and detained those occupying the broadcaster.

Akar was rescued from Akinci Air Base, where the main runway was struck on Erdogan's instructions to prevent further takeoffs. At 12:57 p.m. on July 16, Yildirim announced the coup had been suppressed, ending the 21-hour insurrection that deployed approximately 9,000 military personnel, 35 aircraft, 37 helicopters, 246 armored vehicles — including 74 tanks — and nearly 4,000 light weapons.

Fugitive's Death

Gulen, who founded the organization in the 1960s and fled to the US in 1999, directed the July 15 coup attempt from Pennsylvania, according to Turkish authorities. Despite Ankara submitting seven extradition requests covering 27 separate charges, US authorities never returned him to face trial in Türkiye.

Gulen died on Oct. 20, 2024, at St. Luke's Hospital's Monroe campus in Pennsylvania, with his death officially confirmed to Turkish authorities through documents conveyed by the US Department of State. The failed coup attempt remains the most significant challenge to Türkiye's democratic order in recent decades.