Turkey marks 5th anniversary of failed coup attempt

Turkey held nationwide ceremonies to mark the fifth anniversary of a failed coup attempt in 2016.

On July 15, 2016, coup plotters blocked roads and bombed state institutions including the parliament before the attempt was thwarted with the help of citizens resisting putschist soldiers who took to the streets in tanks and with guns, reports Xinhua news agencu.

About 250 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured in the incident.

A series of ceremonies were held across Turkey on Thursday.


In Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan laid flowers at the Martyrs' Monument in Parliament where a bomb by F-16 jets fell on the night of the coup attempt.

The defeat of the coup attempt is "a common source of pride" for the Turkish nation, the president said at the ceremony.

With the resistance on July 15, the nation both "repelled a putsch and thwarted an attempt of invasion targeting our country", Erdogan added.


He also inaugurated a museum dedicated to democracy and to remind visitors of the spirit of unity of Turks that foiled the coup attempt, Anadolu news Agency reported.

A network headed by the US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen was accused by The Turkish government of orchestrating the coup.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey is stronger and more independent since the coup and called on countries, where activities of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization's (FETO) still continue, to get rid of them.


"We are fighting against FETO in every corner of the world, and we will continue to do so. We ended the activities of FETO affiliated schools in 42 countries. We have ensured the deportation of many FETO members from many countries," he added.-IANS