By Yesim Sert Karaaslan

ANKARA 

Forty-year-old police officer Kemal Kullebi was off duty during the July 15 coup to take care of his sick child.

Yet, duty called... To save the nation, to save the elected government from rogue elements of the Turkish armed forces.

He rushed to the Ankara police headquarters, which had come under attack by military tanks.

“We had guns. But at that time, we did not know the real intention of soldiers inside the tanks,” Kullebi told Anadolu Agency from his hospital bed.

“When the tanks began shelling, we responded,” Kullebi recalled.

The deadly coup attempt began late on July 15 when rogue elements of the Turkish military tried to overthrow the country's democratically elected government.

Pro-coup soldiers attacked police headquarters, special police units, the Turkish parliament and many other buildings in Ankara.

In order to obstruct the tanks’ attacks on the police headquarters, police officers positioned water cannon vehicles at the entrance of the building.

But military helicopters had started attacking the police officers.

“When helicopters detected us, they began shelling. That’s when I got injured,” Kullebi said.

At least 246 people, including members of the security forces and civilians, were martyred during the failed putsch, and over 2,100 others were injured.

Turkey's government has said the attempted coup was organized by followers of U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen, who is accused of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through infiltrating Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming a ‘parallel state’.

Kullebi, who has worked for 17 years in the police department, stressed that the “traitors” did not represent the entire Turkish military.

Over 10,400 suspects, including 287 police officers, 7,423 soldiers, 2,014 judiciary members and 686 civilians have been taken into custody so far in the wake of last week's failed coup.