Under Erdogan, Turkey has also been drawn deeper into some of the region’s most intractable conflicts, especially in neighbouring Syria. President Erdogan, in a speech earlier at the Istanbul airport, blamed the coup attempt on a group of followers of US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen. Officials insisted the coup bid was falling apart with 1,560 officers detained and close to 200 unarmed soldiers at the Turkish military headquarters surrendering. “The coup attempt in Turkey seems backed by only a faction in the Turkish military and is unlikely to succeed,” said Jorge Benitez, a senior fellow at the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security in Washington. Supporters surround President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he arrives at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul on Saturday morning to reassert control after the attempted coup.

Source: Bangkok Post July 16, 2016 00:12 UTC