By Gilad Atzmon

According to Iranian media, Turkish President Erdogan was warned by Russian intelligence of the impending coup just hours before tanks appeared in the capital’s streets.

Intercepted transmissions included helicopter communications ordering soldiers to arrest or kill the Turkish president in the resort town of Marmaris.

Assuming this is true, why did NATO and American intelligence fail to warn President Erdogan? Were they in the dark about the plot or do they simply embody the true meaning of darkness? More questions are raised by the fact that the headquarters for the attempted coup were located at Incirlik airfield, a major launch pad for NATO and the American forces in the region. Didn’t the Western generals and intelligence officers on the ground notice some ‘unusual activity’?

If the Turkish regime is correct and Fethullah Gülen was behind the coup, then some elements within the American intelligence community must have been aware of the pro NATO plot. But they failed to inform their Turkish alley.

The Turkish people and their government are aware of these troubling questions. But it doesn’t end there. The recent Brexit debate in Britain that was fuelled in part by anti Turkish sentiments also didn’t leave the Turks feeling loved or respected by their NATO and EU partners.

Those who are troubled by the drastic measures enacted by the Turkish government since the coup and are mystified by the vast popularity of Erdogan and his regime are advised to look in the mirror.