July 15 Coup Attempt Yüksel Binici

Yüksel Binici

Former Deputy Chairman of the Retired Noncommissioned Officers' Association of Turkey, retired Noncommissioned Officer Yüksel Binici, contacted all colleagues on July 15th and warned them against the coup attempt. He tried his best not to make any mistakes and not to perform any actions that could possibly be illegal.

On the night of July 15th, putschists bombed critical locations such as the National Intelligence Service, the General Staff building, the Parliament, Special Operations Department Directorate; during these attacks, soldiers, policemen, and many civilians were martyred. Anti-coup soldiers and their commanders prevented putschists from capturing more aircraft.

Yüksel and his friends, by breaking the target acquisition system of 60 F-16 aircrafts which were going to be used by FETÖ members to continue bombing cities and state institutions, hindered putschists from cruelly murdering citizens who were resisting.

60 F-16s putschists had captured were damaged and a massacre was prevented

Yüksel describes that night as follows, “We did our best to enlighten our friends, to prevent the coup from being successful and to completely hinder it. Our friends resisted at any area when they realized that it was a possible crime.

Our friends removed part of the target acquisition system of F-16s in order to prevent the coup. There were about 60 jets included in the coup plot in Akıncı Base. If those aircrafts were to take off, there would have been huge destruction and therefore, these bombardments were prevented. If we consider that each of these bombs are capable of damaging a diameter of 25m2, the result would be devastating had they been successful. Thankfully, they were not successful and so the number of casualties has been decreased.”

The developments on the night of the coup at the Akıncı 4th Main Jet Air Base
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The developments on the night of the coup at the Akıncı 4th Main Jet Air Base
Yeni Şafak
The Akıncı Base in Kazan was used as the headquarters of the coup attempt for taking hostages and for the bombings. Upon learning this, the citizens surrounded the Akıncı Base and set fire to hay bales and narrowed the sight of the warplanes. They also gathered in front of the base and resisted the putschists. The putschists at the base shot at the crowd as it grew even bigger. Five people were martyred and 40 were wounded.

“Ömer Halisdemir was the rupture point of the coup plot.”

Noting that anti-coup soldiers displayed exemplary deeds that night, Yüksel continued as follows, “Although they were given an order to capture civilian authorities in the area, the gendarmerie thought that it could be a crime and they didn’t follow the orders.” Noncommissioned officers who were sent to suppress the people, refused to comply with orders. Those were definitely the main elements which prevented the coup from succeeding. Especially at the point that the coup plot could be successful, our friend, our colleague, our hero, Ömer Halisdemir who was in charge against the brigadier who came to take control of the command’s administrative function, resisted, did not hand over the headquarters, and even drew his gun and fired it despite knowing that he could die himself, and interrupted the coup plot even before it started. Those were the rupture points of the coup attempt.

Ömer Halisdemir shot putschist Terzi in the head
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Ömer Halisdemir shot putschist Terzi in the head
Yeni Şafak
The Commander of the Special Forces First Brigade Semih Terzi came to the Special Forces Headquarters with 40 soldiers. Ömer Halisdemir was given the task to kill Semih Terzi by Zekai Pasha. By joining the team of soldiers Terzi arrived with, Halisdemir shot him in the head. Halisdemir was immediately shot at by the traitors, and then carried aside. Ömer Halisdemir was martyred by 1st Lt. Mihrali Atmaca, who shot Halisdemir when he realized he had not died yet.