Turkey PM says 161 dead in coup bid, almost 3,000 held

Binali Yildirim said 265 people were killed, including 104 coup plotters, 2,839 soldiers detained on suspicion of involvement

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim today said 265 people were killed, including 104 coup plotters in the coup attempt against the government, with 2,839 soldiers now detained on suspicion of involvement.

Yildirim, speaking outside his Cankaya palace in Ankara and flanked by top general Hulusi Akar who was held during the coup attempt, also described the putsch bid as a "black stain" on Turkish democracy. He added that 1,440 people had been wounded.

The toll 161 did not include the assailants, he emphasised. Turkey's acting army chief Umit Dundar had earlier said 104 putschists had been killed.

Yildirim blamed the coup attempt on the supporters of US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara has for years accused of working to overthrow the authorities and wants to see brought to justice.

The United States has shown little interest so far to Turkey's requests for his extradition.

"Fethullah Gulen is the leader of a terrorist organisation," the premier said.

"Whichever country is behind him is not a friend of Turkey and in a serious war against Turkey," he added.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, soon after he landed at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport earlier Saturday, said the resort town of Marmaris in southwestern Turkey was bombed as the attackers thought he "was still there".

He blamed the ongoing coup attempt in his country on the movement led by Turkey's Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen now living in the US state of Pennsylvania.

The Turkish leader also revealed that his secretary general was taken away. "What are you going to do with my secretary general?" he asked.

Binali Yildirim said the situation was largely under control and 130 people had so far been arrested, the BBC reported.

He has ordered the military to shoot down aircraft being used by coup plotters, the BBC reported.

Earlier, one of the helicopters being flown by forces involved in the coup attempt was shot down over Ankara.

A no-fly zone over Ankara has been declared.

However, the whereabouts of the military chief of staff remains unknown and sporadic gunfire is still reported in major cities, BBC noted.