Turkish envoy thanks Kenya for support during coup

By Andrew Wasike and Magdalene Mukami

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – The Turkish ambassador to Kenya on Friday thanked Kenya for the support that it extended to the people of Turkey during the July 2015 defeated coup.

Ahmet Cemil Miroglu said Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta was among the first leaders to condemn the coup attempt.

“We will always remember this show of solidarity,” said Miroglu in a news conference in the capital Nairobi for the second anniversary of the defeated coup.

"This was no ordinary coup. In none of the coups or coup attempts in the past, did we have the putschists opening fire on civilians,” said Miroglu.

The Turkish ambassador said the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) responsible for the coup attempt still has “a presence in Kenya but we are working with the Kenyan authorities very closely."

According to the Turkish government, FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.