ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey is marking the third anniversary of the July 15 failed coup attempt against the government with prayers and other events remembering its victims.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday attended a prayer recitation at a mosque on the grounds of the presidential complex, kicking off a series of events to commemorate the crushing of the coup.
On July 15, 2016, factions within the military used tanks, warplanes and helicopters to try to overthrow Erdogan’s government. A total of 251 people were killed and some 2,200 wounded as the coup plotters fired on people or bombed parliament and other government buildings. Around 35 alleged coup plotters were also killed.
Turkey has blamed U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former Erdogan ally, for the coup attempt. Gulen rejects the accusation.