7 years pass since FETÖ terror group's defeated July 15 coup bid of 2016

It has been seven years since the resistance of July 15, 2016, when the Turkish nation braved bombs and bullets to prevent a bloody coup attempt by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ). Seeking to infiltrate the Turkish state since it was founded, FETÖ attempted a coup on the night of July 15, exposing its unlawful acts it had committed under the guise of a religious community. The terror group decided to stage the coup once it realized that its schemes would not be enough to reverse the move, including by summoning then-Undersecretary of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Hakan Fidan and other senior officials for questioning, a large-scale raid on Dec. 17-25, 2013 to detain prominent government figures, and stopping MIT trucks near the Syrian border in 2014. Following Gülen's orders, civilian and military members of the terror group went into action as they completed preparations for the coup attempt across Türkiye. FIRST INVESTIGATION INTO COUP ATTEMPT The first news reports of movement by the forces at the base emerged at 10.28 p.m. local time (1928GMT). TV channels were covering developments as breaking news, reporting that troops were blocking the Bosphorus Bridge and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, both of which span the Istanbul Strait. The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the coup attempt at 11.05 p.m. CRUCIAL INSTITUTIONS SHELLED Additionally, helicopters under the control of the putschists targeted the MIT compound in Yenimahalle district of the capital. IGNITING SPARK OF RESISTANCE During the resistance against the coup perpetrators in front of the Gendarmerie General Command Headquarters, helicopter gunfire resulted in the deaths of nine people and injured dozens. COUP-PLOTTER COMMANDER SLAIN Learning that Terzi, commander of the 1st Special Forces Brigade in southeastern Şırnak province, was assigned by the coup plotters to take over the his unit, Maj. Gen. Zekai Aksakallı, then-commander of the Special Forces Command, lost no time in ordering his right-hand man Ömer Halisdemir by phone to kill Terzi in order to abort their plan. Halisdemir has since became a beacon of the resistance against the defeated coup. PARLIAMENT SHELLED Resorting to every means to break their will to fight back, the coup plotters targeted the country's parliament, with FETÖ-affiliated pilots dropping bombs on the building, injuring 32. TRT was liberated from the putschists at 3 a.m., returning to normal broadcasting as the coup plotters were handed over to police. Coup plotters who occupied the control tower of Istanbul Atatürk Airport were later 'neutralized' by police special forces, and, shortly thereafter, the plane carrying President Erdoğan touched down on the runway. Thousands welcomed Erdoğan at the airport. At 4 a.m., the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued arrest warrants for judicial officials affiliated with FETÖ and other members of the terror group involved in the coup attempt, including the so-called 'Peace at Home Council' sub-group, which was meant to replace the government had the deadly putsch not been defeated. END OF THE ROAD FOR THE COUP PLOTTERS Then-Counter Terrorism Department head Turgut Aslan, who was withheld at the Gendarmerie General Command, and his bodyguard Hasan Gülhan, with their hands and eyes tied, were taken out of the building and shot in the head by a putschist colonel. Aslan was seriously injured, while Gülhan died. The coup plotters at the Bosphorus Bridge surrendered when they realized that their attempt to seize power had failed. Upon the orders of President Erdoğan and then-National Defense Minister Fikri Işık, the main runway of the Akıncı Base was targeted to prevent the putschists' aircraft from taking off. Thus, thanks to President Erdoğan's leadership, the efforts of the Turkish nation and security forces, the coup attempt was beaten in about 21 hours, with records showing that about 9,000 military personnel, 35 planes, 37 helicopters, 74 tanks, 246 armored vehicles, and nearly 4,000 light weapons were used by the putschists.