Veterans recall July 15, 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye

By Hasan Huseyin Kul

ISTANBUL (AA) – Six years after the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the memories of veterans are still fresh and they are proud of their brave actions that helped eliminate the terror group’s treacherous plan.

Among the veterans are Erkan Safi and Muhammet Kurtoglu, who hit the street after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on his nation to not stand idly before the putschists.

Safi and Kurtoglu were injured by the same bullet that came out of the putschist soldiers’ gun while they were taking cover in the back of a truck on the July 15 Martyrs Bridge -- named after the defeated coup.

Kurtoglu was shot in the ankle, and then the bouncing bullet stuck in the leg of his friend Safi standing right next to him.

Safi, 34, a father of two, said it was very crowded outside that day and the soldiers were shooting at the people.

"The people did not have any weapons or sticks in their hands. They had Turkish flags and they were just chanting slogans, saying 'soldier to barracks',” Safi told Anadolu Agency.

“We were in the back of a truck when the fighting intensified. Then, we felt pain in our feet. For a moment, I thought the tires were making pressure on us, but then we noticed that we had been hit," he added.

Kurtoglu, a 34 year-old accountant, said that he took to the streets because he was against the coup attempts, adding he believed that there was foreign interference.

"The unity, solidarity, and perhaps independence of the homeland would be lost. July 15 is a national holiday for me. I'm very happy to be a veteran of this war. It has great spiritual significance for me,” he noted.

- July 15 defeated coup

Türkiye on Friday will commemorate the people killed during the July 15, 2016 defeated coup.

Since its designation in October 2016, every year, the nation marks July 15 as Democracy and National Unity Day, with events held nationwide to commemorate those who lost their lives beating the putschists and remember the bravery of the nation.

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 p.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.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara.