Kenya: Turks, Kenyans honor martyrs of 2016 failed coup

By Andrew Wasike.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - Turkish nationals living in Kenya planted 60 trees at the North Highridge Primary School in the capital Nairobi on Sunday in remembrance of the victims of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt in Turkey.

Led by Turkish ambassador to Kenya Ahmet Cemil Miroglu, Kenyans and Turks side by side commemorated the fallen soldiers and unarmed Turkish civilians who died during the attempted putsch.

Students also got a chance to attend a ceremony in honor of Democracy and National Unity Day in Turkey at the Turkish state-run Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) offices.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Miroglu said: "This year, we started our commemoration events by planting trees at the primary school together with our Kenyan friends, Kenyan students."

"Now, we are with the Kenyan press to brief them about what happened three years ago, what we have done and where we have come in our struggle with FETO," he added.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.