12.07.2024 10:51
Former Minister of Interior and Istanbul Deputy Süleyman Soylu recounted his experiences on the night of July 15th. Soylu said, "If the general who organized or was considered number one in the coup on July 15th had come to Çankaya Palace, we would have killed him there."
The former Minister of Interior, Süleyman Soylu, who is known for his sharp remarks, was a guest on Soner Yalçın's documentary 'I Was There'. Soylu, who talked about the events that took place during the coup attempt carried out by the treacherous FETÖ members on July 15, 2016, made striking evaluations.
"WE WOULD HAVE KILLED HIM THERE"
In the trailer of the documentary, Soylu said, "When I left Çankaya Palace, I put my gun on my waist and said, 'This is your honor, if anyone other than us comes, shoot them.' If the coup plotters or the number one person had come to Çankaya Palace on July 15, we would have killed him there."
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE DARK NIGHT?
July 15, 2016, was one of the longest and darkest days in Turkey's history. The coup attempt by the FETÖ members within the Turkish Armed Forces was prevented by the strong will of the people, and the coup was thwarted in 22 hours. So, how did the coup attempt on July 15 start? Here are the events that took place on that dark night...
That day started calmly, but in the evening, there was an abnormal movement. Gunshots were heard from the General Staff Headquarters at 9:30 pm.
F-16 jets started flying low in the skies of Ankara. What happened was neither a drill nor a bomb threat... Soon after, the Chief of General Staff and the force commanders were taken hostage.
Not only in Ankara but also in Istanbul, the traitors were on the scene. The Bosphorus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges were closed to traffic. News of clashes was coming from many parts of Istanbul.
Everyone was curious. The first statement was made by the then Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım at 11:00 pm: Some individuals within the military are carrying out an unlawful action without the chain of command...
POLICE SPECIAL FORCES ATTACKED
The treacherous FETÖ members vented their anger on anyone who was not one of them. The first explosion was heard at 11:20 pm from the Gölbaşı district of Ankara. The coup plotters attacked the police special forces, which were the most important force that could eliminate them.
In the early minutes of July 16, the coup plotters targeted the intelligence headquarters. A military helicopter attacked the National Intelligence Organization. At the same time, a group of uniformed coup plotters were in the corridors of TRT. They took the employees hostage and closed all entrances to the institution.
When the coup attempt took place, President Erdoğan was in Marmaris with his family. He appeared live on TV at 12:24 am. He had a message for millions of people: I invite our people to the squares of our provinces. I invite them to the airports, and let them gather in the squares and airports as a nation, and let this minority group come with their tanks and cannons and do whatever they want to the people there.
This call was the turning point of the July 15 coup attempt. The people's democracy vigil began as they took to the streets. Following the orders, F-16 jets bombed the Ankara Police Headquarters at 1:00 am. Smoke rose from the building. The Special Forces Headquarters in Gölbaşı, Ankara, was also among the targets of the traitors.
MESSAGE FROM ERDOĞAN: YOU WILL PAY A HEAVY PRICE
One of the moments that changed the course of the coup attempt happened at 2:28 am. Ömer Halis Demir, who killed the coup plotters' Semih Terzi before he entered the headquarters, was martyred there. The second bomb explosion in Gölbaşı happened at 2:20 am. The traitors targeted the Gölbaşı Special Forces Directorate with the jets they had seized.
When it was 2:50 am on July 16, bombs started raining down on the heart of national will. Two bombs were dropped on the vicinity of the Presidential Complex. While the bombs were falling, tens of thousands of people were there to defend democracy.
There was still no news from the Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar. That critical seat was not left empty. Prime Minister Yıldırım announced the appointment of Ümit Dündar as the commander on behalf of the armed forces at 6:52 am on TRT News. Three minutes after that decision, news came that the coup plotters on the Bosphorus Bridge started surrendering. The number of detentions increased rapidly every hour, every minute. Hundreds of dismissals were made in the judiciary, the military, and the police.
An operation was carried out at the Akıncı 4th Main Jet Base to rescue the Chief of General Staff General Hulusi Akar and other commanders who were held captive for 10 hours. Akar was rescued from the hands of the traitors. He was taken to Çankaya Palace by helicopter at 8:32 am. At the same time, the Gendarmerie General Command was cleared of the coup plotters.
THE COUP ATTEMPT HAS BEEN SUPPRESSED
The democracy vigil in the squares continued until morning. The determination of the people played a major role in the failure of the coup attempt. After a difficult night, Prime Minister Yıldırım appeared in front of the cameras at 12:57 pm: The coup attempt has been suppressed. However, we have martyrs.
The bombed Parliament convened at 4:08 pm. The Prime Minister began his address to the members of parliament by reciting verses from the Turkish National Anthem. President Erdoğan was still in Istanbul. From Kısıklı, where the democracy defenders gathered, he addressed the US administration: Hand over this person in Pennsylvania to Turkey.
And at 8:02 pm... The operations at Akıncı, which was the center of the coup attempt, came to an end. Turkey lost 251 sons and daughters that night. But the coup attempt did not last even a day. Democracy prevailed at the dawn of the dark night.