Turkey coup F16s had Erdogan in their sights but did not fire

[Deleted]

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-tu...-idUSKCN0ZX0Q9

At the height of the attempt to overthrow Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, the rebel pilots of two F-16 fighter jets had Erdogan's plane in their sights. And yet he was able to fly on.

The Turkish leader was returning to Istanbul from a holiday near the coastal resort of Marmaris after a faction in the military launched the coup attempt on Friday night, sealing off a bridge across the Bosphorus, trying to capture Istanbul's main airport and sending tanks to parliament in Ankara.

"At least two F-16s harassed Erdogan's plane while it was in the air and en route to Istanbul. They locked their radars on his plane and on two other F-16s protecting him," a former military officer with knowledge of the events told Reuters.

"Why they didn't fire is a mystery," he said.

[Xeones]

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-tu...-idUSKCN0ZX0Q9

From what I can tell the coup attempt was done based on the wishes of the founding father Ataturk that the military should protect democracy and secularism. Assassinating him would not be the way to accomplish that.

Seems like the logical reason to their "mystery" to me anyways.

[Tempguy]

It's not a mystery.

1. The coup was bullshit.

Or 2. Every one of the rebels has an ameba eating their brain.

Also, why is it okay to copy/paste an article with 0 actual imput but I get infracted for a vid? Serious question. Anyone answer.

[Kellhound]

There is always the possibility they didnt have functional weapons.

[GennGreymane]

Those planes had Erdogan in their sights, but he also had jets escorting him... and they did not fire at the coup controlled planes

This really seems staged. Thousands are being purged from the government, judges, advisers, government officials, judges, etc. Erdogan has a free pass to get rid of anyone who may have even looked at him the wrong way in the past.

[HumbleDuck]

They didn't want to make a mess? They didn't want to be shot down by the escort fleet? They were not up for murder? Higher ranks didnt let them open fire because they knew it will make almost the entire world and a big chunk of Turkish people very angry? Its not a mystery, it is very rare for fighters to shot down a passenger airplane, specially if it has a escort fleet.

[Nathreim]

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-tu...-idUSKCN0ZX0Q9

I hate conspiracy shit but it sounds like the Coup was a false flag operation.

[Goondicker]

Those planes had Erdogan in their sights, but he also had jets escorting him... and they did not fire at the coup controlled planes

This really seems staged. Thousands are being purged from the government, judges, advisers, government officials, judges, etc. Erdogan has a free pass to get rid of anyone who may have even looked at him the wrong way in the past.

I have to agree. Turkey is fucked.

[Tennis]

Those planes had Erdogan in their sights, but he also had jets escorting him... and they did not fire at the coup controlled planes

This really seems staged. Thousands are being purged from the government, judges, advisers, government officials, judges, etc. Erdogan has a free pass to get rid of anyone who may have even looked at him the wrong way in the past.

Because in past coups they assassinated the leader? Proof of that?

[Teaon]

they want him dethroned and exiled, killing him would only invoke a huge anger and riot.

i mean with a phone call, he managed to invoke the people, guess what happens when he dies

[Deleted]

It really seems like it was all staged.

[GennGreymane]

Because in past coups they assassinated the leader? Proof of that?

taking out the prior government is generally a part of the goal. Coups tend to be bloody. This one was way to tame.

[Deleted]

Because in past coups they assassinated the leader? Proof of that?

Off the top of my head,Allende is Chile died during the coup, Menderes in Turkey was hanged after the coup, Makarios in Cyprus barely escaped alive.

[Tennis]

Off the top of my head,Allende is Chile died during the coup, Menderes in Turkey was hanged after the coup, Makarios in Cyprus barely escaped alive.

Usually the Turkish army doesn't fire on its own people unlike other armies. People need to get educated.

[GennGreymane]

Usually the Turkish army doesn't fire on its own people unlike other armies. People need to get educated.

Tenny, its a coup. Thats what happens during a coup.

[Celista]

Someone with higher ranking got a case of the feels, denied the strike order. Probably took Erdogan out for lunch and a handjob later.

[Deleted]

Usually the Turkish army doesn't fire on its own people unlike other armies. People need to get educated.

Just google what happens to civilians in the Kurdish areas of Turkey for the last couple of years.

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...s&spfreload=10

[Lothaeryn]

Usually the Turkish army doesn't fire on its own people unlike other armies. People need to get educated.

The fact that a Canadian is telling us what Turks can and cannot do is just baffling.

Attaturk sent soldiers who ran out of ammo to go kill allied forces and you think the military wouldn't fire on citizens who deliberately disobeyed a curfew and martial law? They paint themselves as enemies of democracy by even standing outside. Turkeys military is to ensure democracy at all costs, if it takes a few ignorant bastards to die to get the message across they won't hesitate.

[Azmaria]

Usually the Turkish army doesn't fire on its own people unlike other armies. People need to get educated.

A coup isn't all rainbows and unicorns where people sit down by a fire and sing songs to solve things, then tend to be rather violent.

[PACOX]

Can we stop with the conspiracy theories and just accept that it was a shitty and ill planned coup?