2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt

On 15 July 2016 evening, an attempted military coup occurred in Turkey, orchestrated by a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces of 8,500 soldiers and military cadets, identifying themselves as the "Peace at Home Council". Armed troops attempted to seize control of several key locations in Ankara, Istanbul, and Marmaris but were defeated by a mix of loyalist soldiers and civilian protestors. The Council cited an erosion of secularism, elimination of democratic rule, disregard for human rights, and Turkey's loss of credibility in the international arena as reasons for the coup. That same evening, Erdoğan stated that they had evidence the coup leaders were linked to the Gülen movement, and alleged that the United States was harboring Gülen. The Gülen movement had over 2,000 schools, hundreds of charities, and hospitals globally by 2015. Erdoğan had designated the movement as a terrorist organization in May 2016, citing the police investigation of the 2013 corruption scandal which he described as a "judicial coup attempt" allegedly carried out by police officers linked to the movement. The Gülen movement was led by Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish businessman and a well-known Islamic scholar who lived in exile in Pennsylvania. In response, Gülen called for an international commission to investigate the failed coup and said he would accept the findings if such a body found evidence of his guilt. In contrast, the Erdoğan government did not agree even to a proposal for a national parliamentary committee to investigate the events of 15 July. Events surrounding the coup attempt and the purges in its aftermath reflect a complex power struggle between Islamist elites in Turkey. During the coup attempt, over 300 people were killed, and more than 2,100 were injured. Turkish government claimed that many government buildings, including the Turkish Parliament and the Presidential Palace, were bombed...