Former Turkish envoy calls Obama administration’s response to 2016 coup attempt ‘unfortunate’

The Obama administration failed to adequately respond to Türkiye’s July 15, 2016 coup attempt and did not fully understand Ankara’s warnings about the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), Türkiye’s former ambassador to Washington said.

Serdar Kilic, who served as Türkiye’s US ambassador during the attempted coup, told Anadolu that Turkish officials had repeatedly briefed Washington on FETO’s structure, activities and alleged harm to both Türkiye and the US.

“We tried to explain in detail what this FETO structure was and how it was harming the American system as well as Türkiye,” Kilic said. “But I do not believe it was sufficiently understood.”

Kilic, now Türkiye’s special representative for normalization talks with Armenia, said he contacted senior US officials after learning that a faction within the Turkish military had attempted to seize power.

He requested a statement supporting Türkiye’s elected government and condemning the attack, but then-US Secretary of State John Kerry’s initial remarks focused on restraint.

“This was a very unfortunate statement,” Kilic said, adding that the administration waited four days before explicitly using the word “condemnation.”

Kilic said US officials told him that a statement was awaiting President Barack Obama’s approval but that they could not reach him because he was in the White House Situation Room.

He said Obama could have been there over another development, but argued that the president should still have been informed and immediately expressed support for a key NATO ally.

“I saw an attitude that was incompatible with the relationship that should exist between two allies,” Kilic said.

Unusual White House reception

Kilic said he was attending a White House reception for diplomatic mission chiefs on July 15 when he noticed that the usual program had been abruptly shortened.

Such receptions normally included a buffet, a presidential address and individual photographs with the president, he said.

On that day, however, guests were quickly moved to the speech hall, Obama delivered an unusually brief address and the event ended without the customary photo session.

“The program seemed very unusual to me,” Kilic said. “When I returned to the embassy, I felt that something extraordinary was happening.”

First contact with senior US official after coup attempt

Kilic said a senior US State Department official contacted him after the coup attempt and raised concerns about the safety of American citizens in Türkiye amid allegations of US involvement.

He said he reacted angrily, expecting the official instead to condemn the attack on Türkiye’s democracy, offer condolences for the more than 250 people killed and express solidarity.

“I truly condemn you,” Kilic recalled telling the official. “This is not an attitude befitting the senior State Department representative of an allied country.”

Biden acknowledged US response came too late during Türkiye visit

He said then-Vice President Joe Biden visited Türkiye on Aug. 24, 2016, toured sites bombed during the coup attempt and acknowledged that the US response had come too late.

Kilic also said Türkiye submitted extensive evidence to US authorities concerning FETO and its US-based schools, which directed American taxpayer funds to the organization.

“I personally delivered more than 140 files,” he said, adding that the information was also presented to US national security advisers, ministers and other senior officials.

On July 15, 2016, a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces linked to FETO attempted to overthrow Türkiye’s elected government.

The plotters bombed parliament and other state institutions and opened fire on civilians, killing 253 people and wounding thousands.