TURQUÍA/AP — Turquía se sumió en un caos mientras las fuerzas leales al presidente Recep Tayyip Erdogan aplastaron un intento de golpe de Estado en una noche de explosiones, batallas aéreas y disparos que dejaron varios muertos. Miles fueron arrestados ante la promesa de que los responsables “pagarán un alto precio por su traición.
The Associated Press repasa el largo historial de golpes en Turquía, su importancia miliar y el por qué muchos creían que la interferencia militar en la política había terminado.
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¿DURANTE CUÁNTO TIEMPO EL EJÉRCITO HA INTERVENIDO EN LA POLÍTICA?
El ejército encabezó tres golpes entre 1960 y 1980, y presionó para que en 1997 dejara el poder el primer ministro Necmettin Erbakan, un devoto musulmán mentor de Erdogan y quien no era bien visto por la clase laica de Turquía. En 2007, el ejército amenazó con intervenir en la elección presidencial y advirtió al gobierno para que frenara la influencia islámica, pero las acciones tuvieron el efecto opuesto y Abdullah Gul, el candidato favorecido por el gobierno con inclinación islámica, tomó el poder.
El intento de golpe más reciente sorprendió a los expertos, porque el gobierno de Erdogan había tomado medidas para poner orden en el ejército, incluyendo la destitución y juicios a altos oficiales activos y jubilados, por supuesta conspiración para realizar un golpe de estado. El gobierno de Erdogan parecía trabajar de manera eficiente con el ejército, coordinando temas de seguridad nacional y al confrontar a una facción que se percibía como antigubernamental, que se había dicho que había infiltrado a la policía y otras instituciones.
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Mourners carry the coffin of a man who died during the coup attempt at a funeral ceremony at Kocatepe Mosque in Ankara, Turkey. Support from the highest ranks in the army helped keep President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in power.
(Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP/Getty Images)
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Women react during the funeral of a victim of the failed coup attempt in Istanbul, Turkey.
(Gurcan Ozturk / AFP/Getty Images)
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A Turkish police officer restrains a man during an operation in front of the courthouse in Ankara. Turkey has detained more than 7,500 suspects it says were involved in the failed coup attempt.
(Ilyas Akengin / AFP/Getty Images)
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Turkish police patrol during an operation in front of the courthouse in Ankara.
(Ilyas Akengin / AFP/Getty Images)
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A boy is wrapped in a flag of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, in Taksim Square. Turkish authorities pressed on with a crackdown against suspects in the failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
(Daniel Mihailescu / AFP/Getty Images)
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Relatives of Turkish geologist Cuma Dag, 39, who was killed by helicopter gunfire Friday while protesting the coup attempt, mourn at his funeral in Ankara.
(Hussein Malla / Associated Press)
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Members of the public cheer as Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim speaks after a meeting with the Turkish Speaker of Parliament at the Turkish Grand Assembly in Ankara.
(ADEM ALTAN / AFP/Getty Images)
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Women try to take pictures of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan walking through the crowd of supporters, as security officers stand on a roof in Istanbul
(Defne Karadeniz / Getty Images)
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Turkish anti riot police officers escort Turkish soldiers who allegedly took part in a military coup in the Bakirkoy district in Istanbul
(OZAN KOSE / AFP/Getty Images)
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People kick and beat a Turkish soldier that participated in the attempted coup, on Istanbul’s Bosporus Bridge.
(Selcuk Samiloglu / AP)
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Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shout slogans and hold flags during a demonstration, against the failed Army coup attempt.
(SEDAT SUNA / EPA)
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A woman takes a picture of herself in front a damaged Turkish military APC that was attacked by protesters near the Turkish military headquarters in Ankara.
(Hussein Malla / AP)
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Pro-Erdogan protesters wave Turkish flags and shout slogans as they demonstrate in Istanbul in support the government following a failed coup attempt.
(ARIS MESSINIS / AFP/Getty Images)
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Turkish citizens wave their national flags as they protest against the military coup outside Turkey’s parliament near the Turkish military headquarters in Ankara, Turkey.
(Hussein Malla / Associated Press)
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A Turkish police officer embraces a man atop an empty tank that had been used in the coup attempt in Istanbul.
(Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images)
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People wave Turkish flags at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul, which was taken over by supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
(Gurcan Ozturk / AFP/Getty Images)
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A lawmaker addresses a nearly empty chamber of Turkey’s parliament in Ankara on July 16, 2016.
(Burhan Ozbilici / Associated Press)
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Passengers whose flights were canceled because of the coup attempt wait at Ataturk airport in Istanbul on July 16, 2016.
(Tolga Bozoglu / EPA)
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People waving Turkish flags take to the streets of Ankara in opposition to the military coup attempt.
(Adem Altan / AFP/Getty Images)
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People sit next to a giant Turkish flag after they took over a military position at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul.
(Gurcan Ozturk / AFP/Getty Images)
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People react after they take over a military position on the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul on July 16, 2016. (BULENT KILIC / AFP/Getty Images)
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Turkish people holding flags are driven in a car, backdropped by Istanbul’s iconic Bosphorus Bridge, Saturday, July 16, 2016.
(Emrah Gurel / Associated Press)
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Turkish people celebrate as Turkish police officers, loyal to the government, stand atop tanks abandoned by Turkish army officers against a backdrop of Istanbul’s iconic Bosporus Bridge, Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Emrah Gurel / Associated Press)
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Women react after people took over military positions on the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul on July 16, 2016. (OZAN KOSE / AFP/Getty Images)
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People try to stop a Turkish police armored vehicle carrying Turkish soldiers that participated in the coup and surrendered, Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Emrah Gurel / Associated Press)
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Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge. (Gokhan Tan / Getty Images)
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Clothes and weapons beloging to surrendered soldiers involved in the coup attempt lie abandoned on the ground on Bosphorus Bridge.
(Gokhan Tan / Getty Images)
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Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge. (Gokhan Tan / Getty Images)
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Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge. (Gokhan Tan / Getty Images)
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A police officer talks with soldiers involved in the coup attempt after they surrendered on Bosphorus bridge. (Gokhan Tan / Getty Images)
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Turkish anti-riot police officers use water cannon on people as a police bus carrying detained Turkish soldiers passes over the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul.
(Ozan Kose / AFP/Getty Images)
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People react after they took over military positions on the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul. (OZAN KOSE / AFP/Getty Images)
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In this image taken from video provided by Anadolu Agency, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to the media Saturday, July 16, 2016 in Istanbul. Erdogan said that his government was working to crush a coup attempt after a night of explosions, air battles and gunfire that left dozens dead and at least 150 people wounded. (Anadolu Agency / Associated Press)
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Turkish people gather near a burned car in Istanbul, Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Emrah Gurel / Associated Press)
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People gather around a car which was crushed by a tank in Kizilay Square. (Burhan Ozbilici / Associated Press)
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A car burns during a firefight between Turkish army and Turkish police in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. (Cavit Ozgul / Associated Press)
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Turkish soldiers arrested by police sit in a police bus in Istanbul’s Taksim Square, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Selcuk Samiloglu / Associated Press)
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People take to the streets in Ankara, Turkey. (ADEM ALTAN / AFP/Getty Images)
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A Turkish soldier, arrested by civilians, is led to be handed to police officers in Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Selcuk Samiloglu / Associated Press)
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A man holds the flag of Turkey in front of a destroyed car, crashed by a military tank. (Burhan Ozbilici / Associated Press)
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Turkish soldiers, arrested by civilians, are handed to police officers in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. (Selcuk Samiloglu / Associated Press)
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Turkish people, protesting against the coup, in Istanbul early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Omer Kuscu / Associated Press)
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A Turkish soldier, arrested by civilians, is walked to be handed to police officers, in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. (Selcuk Samiloglu / Associated Press)
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People gather in Ankara’s main Kizilay Square to protest an attemped military coup. (Burhan Ozbilici / Associated Press)
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A Turkish soldier that participated in the coup and apprehended by civilians is escorted to be handed over to police, in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. (Selcuk Samiloglu / Associated Press)
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Supporters of Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, protest in Istanbul’s Taksim square, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Emrah Gurel / Associated Press)
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A woman lies on the ground in Ankara, Turkey. (Gokhan Sahin / Getty Images)
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People take over a tank near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge during clashes with military forces in Istanbul on July 16, 2016. (GURCAN OZTURK / AFP/Getty Images)
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People take over a tank near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge during clashes with military forces in Istanbul on July 16, 2016. (GURCAN OZTURK / AFP/Getty Images)
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People take over a tank near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge during clashes with military forces in Istanbul on July 16, 2016. (GURCAN OZTURK / AFP/Getty Images)
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People take over a tank near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge during clashes with military forces in Istanbul on July 16, 2016. (GURCAN OZTURK / AFP/Getty Images)
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People take to the streets near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge during clashes with military forces in Istanbul on July 16, 2016. (GURCAN OZTURK / AFP/Getty Images)
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Turkish solders at Taksim square as people react. (OZAN KOSE / AFP/Getty Images)
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A tank is parked in the entrance to Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Ismail Coskun / Associated Press)
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People protesting against the coup wave a Turkish flag in Istanbul’s Taksim square, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Emrah Gurel / Associated Press)
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An injured man is attended to by police when Turkish soldiers opened fire to disperse the crowd in Istanbul’s Taksim square, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Emrah Gurel / Associated Press)
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Turkish army vehicles enter the Ataturk Airport on July 16, 2016 in Istanbul. (Defne Karadeniz / Getty Images)
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Turkish army’s tank enter the Ataturk Airport on July 16, 2016 in Istanbul. (Defne Karadeniz / Getty Images)
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A passenger walks with her luggage as Turkish army’s tanks enter the Ataturk Airport on July 16, 2016 in Istanbul. (Defne Karadeniz / Getty Images)
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A man lies in front of a tank in the entrance to Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Ismail Coskun / Associated Press)
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A man shot during clashes between Turkish solders and police near Taksim square in Istanbul on July 16, 2016 is treated by paramedics. (OZAN KOSE / AFP/Getty Images)
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People occupy a tank in Istanbul. (TOLGA BOZOGLU / EPA)
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Supporters of Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, gather, waving Turkish flags, in Istanbul’s Taksim square, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Emrah Gurel / AP)
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Turkish military control a road in Istanbul on July 16, 2016, after Turkish troops launched a coup. (GURCAN OZTURK / AFP/Getty Images)
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Supporters of president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan shout slogans at the Taksim Square in Istanbul. (SEDAT SUNA / EPA)
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People take to the streets in support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 16, 2016 in Antalya, Turkey.
(Chris McGrath / Getty Images)
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People take to the streets in support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 16, 2016 in Antalya, Turkey.
(Chris McGrath / Getty Images)
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People take to the streets in support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 16, 2016 in Antalya, Turkey. (Chris McGrath / Getty Images)
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People take to the streets in support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 16, 2016 in Antalya, Turkey. (Chris McGrath / Getty Images)
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Turkish army tanks move in the main streets in the early morning hours of July 16, 2016 in Ankara, Turkey. (Gokhan Sahin / Getty Images)
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A man approaches Turkish military with his hands up at the entrance to the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul. (BULENT KILIC / AFP/Getty Images)
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upporters of president of Turkey Recep Tayyup Erdogan shout slogans at the Taksim Square in Istanbul. (SEDAT SUNA / EPA)
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Supporters of president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan shout slogans at the Taksim Square in Istanbul. (SEDAT SUNA / EPA)
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A military tank at entrance to the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul. (BULENT KILIC / AFP/Getty Images)
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People carry a man shot during clashes with Turkish military at the entrance to the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul. (BULENT KILIC / AFP/Getty Images)
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A man performs CPR on a wounded man after clashes with Turkish military at the entrance to the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul. (BULENT KILIC / AFP/Getty Images)
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A supporter of Recep Tayyip Erdogan shout slogans at the Taksim Square in Istanbul.
(SEDAT SUNA / EPA)
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A military tank crushes a car in Istanbul.
(Burhan Ozbilici / AP)
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Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
(Defne Karadeniz / Getty Images)
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People run along the main streets of Istanbul.
(Defne Karadeniz / Getty Images)
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Turkish army APCs move in the main streets on July 15, 2016 in Istanbul.
(Defne Karadeniz / Getty Images)
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks on CNN Turk via an iPhone Facetime call.
(Burak Kara / Getty Images)
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Tanks move into position as Turkish people attempt to stop them in Ankara.
(Burhan Ozbilici / AP)
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Turkish soldiers secure the area as supporters of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul’s Taksim Square.
(Emrah Gurel / AP)
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Supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan shout slogans at Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey.
(SEDAT SUNA / EPA)
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Turkish soldiers block Istanbul’s iconic Bosphorus Bridge as an apparent coup attempt unfolds.
(Emrah Gurel / Associated Press)
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A group of Turkish internal security officers passes a soldier on the streets of Istanbul.
(Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images)
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Turkish soldiers take up positions along the road to the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, which was closed during an apparent coup attempt.
(Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images)
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Police officers stand guard near the Turkish military headquarters in Ankara, Turkey.
(Kutluhan Cucel / Getty Images)
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¿POR QUÉ EL EJÉRCITO INTENTÓ INTERVENIR AHORA?
El ejército turco tradicionalmente se ve a sí mismo como el guardián del viejo poder no religioso, un legado del fundador nacional y ex oficial del ejército, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, así como ejecutor del orden en momentos de inquietud civil y pobre liderazgo civil. Y aunque se vio forzado a bajar su perfil político bajo el gobierno de Erdogan, el ejército turco se ha visto sacudido por el renovado conflicto con los rebeldes separatistas curdos y los atentados por supuestos extremistas islámicos, incluyendo un ataque en el principal aeropuerto de Estambul el mes pasado en el que murieron decenas de personas. Erdogan también ha sido un líder divisorio, aunque aún cuenta con un profundo apoyo de la clase devota musulmana que alguna vez se sintió marginada bajo los gobiernos previos que eran influenciados por el gobierno.
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¿POR QUÉ ES TAN IMPORTANTE EL EJÉRCITO TURCO?
Turquía es miembro de la OTAN y un importante aliado en los esfuerzos que Estados Unidos encabeza para derrotar al grupo Estado Islámico, que controla territorios en Siria e Irak, y le ha permitido a los aviones de combate estadounidenses utilizar su base aérea Incirlik para realizar misiones de combate contra los extremistas. La ubicación estratégica de Turquía en el Medio Oriente, donde se divide Europa de Asia, la convierte en una pieza clave en los conflictos internacionales. En 2003, Turquía prohibió que las fuerzas estadounidenses utilizaran su territorio en la invasión a Irak, generando dudas sobre si el ejército turco, con gran poder político, había socavado una iniciativa civil para ayudar a los Estados Unidos.
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¿QUÉ PIENSAN LOS TURCOS DE SU EJERCITO?
Los turcos tienen una relación conflictiva con su ejército, una institución envuelta en la tradición del sacrificio, pero también manchada como un símbolo pasado de represión. Líderes de golpes militares pasados fueron vistos como salvadores del caos y la corrupción, pero también como despiadados. Durante la toma militar de 1960, se ejecutó al primer ministro y algunos otros ministros clave. La tortura, las desapariciones y los asesinatos extrajudiciales fueron desenfrenados durante el golpe de 1980. Pese a su pasado, el ejército mantiene respeto y vastos recursos económicos.
