Turkish Soldiers Thought Coup Was A Training Exercise

Turkish soldiers surrender their weapons to policemen during an attempted coup in Istanbul's Taksim Square, Turkey, July 16, 2016 © Murad Sezer / Reuters

RT: Turkish soldiers thought coup was military ‘exercise’

Soldiers arrested during a failed coup attempt in Turkey told interrogators that they thought that they were taking part in military exercises.

A group of 678 troops and 10 officers, headed by a colonel, was detained by authorities at Ataturk International Airport overnight.

During the interrogations, some of the soldiers claimed that, initially, they had no idea that they were taking part in an attempt to topple the government, thinking that it was just a military drill.

“Only when people began to climb on the tanks, we understood everything,” the soldiers said, according to Hurriyet newspaper.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has reported that 2,839 soldiers and officers implicated in the overnight coup attempt have been arrested.

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Update: Soldiers Detained in Turkey Thought Coup Was a Training Exercise (Sputnik)

WNU Editor: There was a lot of shooting during this "exercise". I doubt that this "excuse" will be well received.