Turkey coup attempt put down, official promises purge

The attempted military coup by a faction of Turkey´s Army was put down overnight.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called the attempted overthrow of the elected government a "black stain for democracy", adding that the plotters would "face the justice they deserved".

Yildrim put the casualty toll from the heavy fighting in Ankara and Istanbul at 160 dead and 1,440 wounded, with over 2,800 soldiers and senior officers having reportedly been arrested.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan linked the attempted coup to perhaps one of his most outspoken and erstwhile critics, US-exiled Islamist preacher Fethullah Gulen.

Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli promised to intensify the purge of Gulenist supporters in state organs.

“The process of clearing parallel treacherous organization from the state will be finalized in a more rapid and efficient way. Even if they went into the tiniest veins of the state, they will be purged,” he reportedly told the local pro-government A Haber broadcaster.

The US dollar gained 4.8% against the Turkish lira to finish the Friday session at 3.0157. In parallel, the iShares MSCI Turkey exchange traded fund fell 2.5% to $41.60 by the close of trading in New York.