Turkish forces fight to crush coup remnants after Erdogan returns

Forces loyal to the Turkish government fought on Saturday to crush the remnants of a military coup attempt which crumbled after crowds answered President Tayyip Erdogan`s call to take to the streets and dozens of rebels abandoned their tanks, Reuters reported.
More than 90 people were killed in violence that erupted late on Friday after a faction of the armed forces attempted to seize power using tanks and attack helicopters, some strafing the headquarters of Turkish intelligence and parliament in Ankara, others seizing a major bridge in Istanbul, according to the report. 
Erdogan appeared to accuse the coup plotters of trying to kill him, and promised to purge the armed forces which in the past have staged a number of successful coups.
”They will pay a heavy price for this,” he said.
”This uprising is a gift from God to us because this will be a reason to cleanse our army.”
Turkish authorities have already detained around 1,500 members of the armed forces, officials said. Chief of staff Hulusi Akar, who had been reported held hostage by the rebels, has been rescued, a senior official said, according to Reuters. 
Erdogan, who had been holidaying on the southwest coast when the coup was launched, flew into Istanbul before dawn on Saturday and was shown on TV outside Ataturk Airport.
Addressing a crowd of thousands of flag-waving supporters at the airport later, Erdogan said the government remained at the helm, although disturbances continued in Ankara, Reuters wrote. 
The death toll has risen to 90, state-run Anadolu Agency reported, with 1,154 people wounded.

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