Türkiye to grow stronger to prevent threat of another coup says president

By Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish government will resolutely continue building a great, powerful Türkiye so the country does not face more calamities like the defeated coup attempt of July 15, 2016, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

The Turkish president's comments came during an event in Istanbul marking the sixth anniversary of the coup attempt that left hundreds dead and thousands of others wounded as the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) sought to wrest control of the country using its members that had infiltrated the Turkish military.

Türkiye will do its best not to go through another coup and face the threat of captivity, Erdogan said, adding that the resilience of the Turkish nation blocked the terror group's ill intentions.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup, which left 251 people dead and 2,734 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.

The attempt by FETO to overthrow the government began around 10 p.m. local time (1900GMT) on July 15, 2016, and was thwarted by 8 a.m. the next day.

Standing against the threat, the Turkish people courageously showed the world that they would not tolerate any attempt to thwart their will as expressed through their democratically elected government.