A faction in the Turkish military launched an attempted coup in 2016 in a bid to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but failed. Erdogan, who barely escaped capture by the plotters, accused US-based cleric Fethullah Gülen of being the coup’s mastermind and slammed Washington for protecting him.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan might have pushed for the purchase of Russian S-400 air defence systems instead of American Patriot missiles due to concerns that the country’s air force may pose a significant threat in itself, Reuters reported, citing several anonymous sources in the US government. The officials believe that the participation of part of the Turkish Air Force in the failed 2016 military coup could have influenced the president’s decision.