Military coup in Turkey to start at 3 am

A number of PowerPoint slides published in the Taraf daily on Tuesday suggest that a planned coup d'état was to be launched at 3 a.m. on an undisclosed date in İstanbul, with tanks patrolling the larger neighborhoods of the city to destroy any “threat” that might attempt to block the military takeover.
The PowerPoint slides were retrieved from a 5,000-page plan allegedly drafted by active duty members of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in March 2003. The plan, titled the “Balyoz [Sledgehammer] Security Operation Plan,” was drafted only a couple of months after the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government came to power. The masterminds behind the plan were allegedly retired Gen. Çetin Doğan, who was then commander of the 1st Army, former Air Forces Commander Gen. İbrahim Fırtına and retired Gen. Ergin Saygun.

According to the slides, the major threat to the “secularist order of the Republic of Turkey” was posed by “internal targets.”

“As indicated by Great Leader [Mustafa Kemal] Atatürk, what is important is the internal front. Nothing can be achieved unless the internal front is strengthened. This main principle suggests that the elimination of the external threat could only be possible after the elimination of the internal threat.

What is problematic with the internal threat is the difficulty in the realistic determination of the ability and opportunities of the enemy. As we have witnessed in many countries, a small spark can bring together a massive crowd that displays unconscious reactions,” read one of the slides.

The document seems to refute a statement by the General Staff, which claimed that the Sledgehammer plan was part of a series of “scenarios” drafted by the armed forces against the possibility of an external threat. The plan was, however, mainly based on potential methods to “crush” internal threats.

The major internal threat, according to another slide, came from observant Muslims, who the military usually refers to as “reactionary.”

“To permanently get rid of the reactionary threat, necessary measures should occur as was done after the War of Independence and reactionary sympathizers should be assimilated,” stated the document. Another slide warned that reactionary activities had the potential to rapidly spread in İstanbul and southeastern Turkey unless “definite, quick and harsh” measures were taken.

Taraf reported last week that the armed forces had yet another plot to instigate chaos through bomb attacks on popular historic mosques in İstanbul to eventually lead to a military takeover. The plan would also have discharged hundreds of military officers after the coup.

The coup plotters planned to “make use of” the police force and soldiers to facilitate the staging of the coup. Police officers and soldiers would be used to establish special security teams, which would be deployed in various Turkish provinces for security reasons.

The PowerPoint slides also indicated that around 200,000 people residing in the duty zone of the 1st Army were deemed to “pose a threat” to the planned military takeover. Other documents published by Taraf last week suggested that the armed forces planned to detain and then arrest at least 200,000 individuals on charges of reactionary activities in İstanbul after the coup. Individuals who stood up against the coup were to be taken into custody and brought to large sports facilities for interrogation. Among the facilities mentioned were the Burhan Felek sports complex and Fenerbahçe Stadium. The suspects would be questioned by security forces there and then sent to prisons. If the prisons were unable to accommodate all the arrestees, military barracks would temporarily be turned into jails.

In order to prevent a public revolt against the coup, the armed forces planned to patrol several of İstanbul’s larger neighborhoods with tanks and armored vehicles. Among these neighborhoods were Gazi, Eyüp, Fatih and Sultanbeyli. Thousands of security forces would be deployed in İstanbul streets, as they were after the Sept. 12, 1980 military coup. The Hasdal Military Barracks would be turned into a command center to control the military takeover.

The armed forces also hoped to end transmission of many TV and radio stations, which they categorized as “extreme right,” “extreme left” and “missionary.” Among such stations were Radyo 7, Kanal 7, Yön FM and Mega FM.

The documents also suggested that the police was to be brought under the control of the military, that the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) would be restructured and that the new organization would be headed by an army general on active duty.

After the declaration of martial law, a curfew would be imposed and the prisoners at the Metris Prison in İstanbul would be transferred to other prisons in Thrace to open up more space for individuals to be arrested in İstanbul after the coup.