Turkey's military says it learned about coup attempt at 4 pm

Turkey's National Intelligence Agency (MİT) informed others about the planned coup attempt to the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) hours before the tanks took to the streets, according to a TAF statement released on Tuesday, July 19.

“In the framework of the information received from MİT, Chief of the General Staff General Hulusi Akar, Land Forces Commander General Salih Zeki Çolak and the second commander of the General Staff General Yaşar Güler had held a meeting in the military headquarters at 4 p.m. on July 15,” the TAF statement read.

The Turkish military said the coup attempt organized by “illegal gang members of FETÖ” was completely quelled at 4 p.m. on July 16.

It said that military chief Akar had ordered to take some important steps to prevent the planned coup attempt.

The steps included the order to close Turkey's air space to all kind of aerial vehicles (plane, helicopters) until the second order and to return all jets to the bases, to take all type of actions to stop any flight from the Ground Aviation Command and to stop movement of all military tanks and armored vehicles, according to the TAF.

Turkish military also warned and ordered all related / responsible authority widely.

It said that the FETÖ terrorists in the Turkish military had also forced the chief of general staff to sign the coup statement and read it to the media.

These ravishers would be punished most severely, the military said.

The Turkish Armed Forces, with all of its staffs from the youngest soldiers to high-ranked generals, are on duty under the order of the democratic legal system in our state and our supreme nation, the statement read.