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by jacquesm 3626 days ago
Then how come they are still there?

If what you write is true they should have had clear warning about that coup attempt. It might have succeeded.

4 comments

> If what you write is true they should have had clear warning about that coup attempt. It might have succeeded.

Or, the relevant intelligence agencies had clear warning, a good estimate of capabilities and what it would take to defeat it, and were able to intervene to assure that the Erdogan government was capable of putting down the coup

Or they had clear warning, sufficient intelligence about the intentions and orientation of the coup plotters that they were comfortable that the weapons would be no less safe even if the coup succeeded.

Or...

I'd be surprised if they don't have the capability to disarm them and destroy the "interesting" components relatively quickly.

I would also be surprised if (besides initial instability) the expected outcome of a military coup is much worse than the status quo.

With the current situation there's probably not much good of saying "yeah, that place is pretty fked so we gtfo'd." Which exactly the message sent by loading up all your nukes and gtfoing at ~Mach 2.

> Then how come they are still there?

Because they correctly perceive there's very little risk in remaining there.

Unless this is exactly what they planned.
That could be but there is absolutely zero evidence for that, it appears that they were caught flat-footed, the (Turkish) base commander was arrested.
Let's see:

* there's a list of 6000 people to be arrested, military and non-military, which must have existed before

* offensive on the ground took place at a time when they must have known Erdogan wasn't there

* they could have shot down his plane with F16s, but didn't

* the coup was generally terribly organized, in a country where the military certainly knows how to do it

* Erdogan is known to be a mischievous POS

Many people are sceptical and for good reasons.

If find that a more worrisome scenario than a failed coup. The previous (successful) coups in Turkey ended with the military handing back power as soon as it was feasible and they have traditionally only done this to safeguard Turkey as a secular state.

Going with your suggestion would indicate that this safeguard no longer exists.

> safeguard Turkey as a secular state

In '61 and '97. Go to turkish leftists, ask what happened in 1980.