Turkey detains 'coup plotters' at base used by US: Reports
Source: AFP
ISTANBUL: Turkish authorities have reportedly detained a senior air force general and other officers accused of backing the failed coup aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a key air base used by US forces for raids in Syria.
Brigadier air force general Bekir Ercan Van was detained along with over a dozen lower ranking officers on Saturday at the air force base of Incirlik in Turkey's southern Adana province, newspapers including the Hurriyet daily said.
They were now being interrogated by investigators, the reports added.
A Turkish official told AFP on Saturday that Ankara suspected Incirlik was used to refuel military aircraft "hijacked" by the coup plotters on Friday night.
Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Turkey-detains-coup-plotters-at-base-used-by-US-Reports/articleshow/53249504.cms
jtuck004
(15,882 posts)OnlinePoker
(5,721 posts)NWCorona
(8,541 posts)jtuck004
(15,882 posts)iandhr
(6,852 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)SkyDaddy7
(6,045 posts)Actually he could not have planned this better himself...Now he will secure his rule for life. I think Turkey is done as a legitimate open & free democracy. IMHO.
I HOPE I'm wrong!! We will see.
MADem
(135,425 posts)That's not 'our' base at all though we helped 'em build it.
They've re-opened the base to military operations.
https://twitter.com/SpiegelPeter/status/754664136475312130?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
erglerbergler
(27 posts)Interesting that Erdogan wants us to believe that the commander of this base was involved with this "coup". With respect to jet activity, all I saw from people who claimed to witness firsthand was that a handful of jets were continually creating sonic booms at low altitudes, probably trying to scare the population.
Possible scenario; commander of base goes to US military, tells them Erdogan is up to something, Erdogan responds by blockading the base until they give him up.
I don't think it's a coincidence that the end of the blockade coincided with the detaining of this commander.
MADem
(135,425 posts)This stinks to high heaven.
I can't believe that any general or even field grade officer in the Turkish military would be so piss-poor in the planning department. The rank-and-file are conscripts, and many are uneducated and simply go along/get along, but the professionals, the ones who make it a career, are both skilled and trained within their areas of expertise. They're not losers wearing fruit salad.
Something is "off" about this--either that or the Turkish military has deteriorated into utter mush inside of two decades...and I just don't believe that.
erglerbergler
(27 posts)One of the obstacles to figuring out what has happened is Erdogan's grip on the press. Our media outlets don't seem to fully understand that there is no free press in Turkey.
rafeh1
(385 posts)So pro coup. I could understand the right whingers at freerepublic but not here.
Repeated dosage of free elections even if u dont like results.
dlwickham
(3,316 posts)and that Erdoğan and his cronies won said free elections