Brigadier General Murat Aygün and the 58th Artillery and Missile Brigade Trapped on July 15

Brigadier General Murat Aygün and the 58th Artillery and Missile Brigade Trapped on July 15
03/08/2025

During the court hearing, Brigadier General Murat Aygün, Commander of the 58th Artillery and Missile Brigade, was charged with several offenses related to the alleged coup attempt. Among the accusations brought against him were: deployinga convoy of 45 military vehicles and 240 personnel to occupy key roads and intersections in Ankara, as well asthe buildings of the TIB (Turkish Telecommunications Authority) and Türksat; ordering the loading and combat-readiness of missiles and rockets within the brigade to be fired if necessary; and attempting to silence the sala (Islamic call to rally) being broadcast from Polatlı Central Mosque in order to prevent the failure of the so-called coup attempt. This article will focus on his court defense.

In recent times, the wave of terrorist incidents in Turkey had impacted not only the Armed Forces and all branches of law enforcement, but even the public to such an extent that extraordinary acts of terrorism had begun to feel almostroutine. Within the Armed Forces and all law enforcement agencies, the primary agenda was the growing necessity to prepare for an imminent large-scale terrorist attack. The orders issued and the meetings held in response to the terrorist attacks that occurred prior to July 15 had become deeply embeddedin the subconscious of the Armed Forcesand all law enforcement units. The Armed Forces and all law enforcement units were on high alert across the country in anticipation of a possible terrorist operation.

While the country was already in this state of heightened alert, Brigadier General Murat Aygün received an order on the evening of July 15 from the Land Forces Operations Center stating that martial law had been declared, and that the 58th Artillery and Missile Brigadehad been assignedthe task of securing criticalroads and intersections as part of this directive. Although he attempted to contact his superior officers to confirm the order, provide information, and receive further instructions, Brigadier General Aygün was unable to reach them. Consequently, he was compelled to deploy his unit in accordance with the order he had received. As a precautionary measure, he instructed the missile batteries under his command to prepare for possible operational orders.

At that time, Lieutenant General Metin Gürak, the commander of the 4th Corps and Brigadier GeneralAygün’s direct superior,was actively workingin Ankara to ensure that certain units — even those not under his direct command — remained confined to their barracks. However, he failed to provide any information to the 58th Artillery and Missile Brigade and the 28th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, both of which were under his authority, and deliberately ignored or refused to answer calls from unit commanders, effectively drawing them into the trap.

Shortly after the operations began—at an early hour when the true nature of events was still unclear—civilians began blocking the movements of military units, the salas (Islamic calls) started to echo from mosques, and rumors of a so-called coup began to spread rapidly. In response to these unusual developments, Brigadier GeneralMurat Aygün started to suspect that the situation was not as it initially appeared.However, despite his efforts,he was unable to reach any of his superiors, nor any officials from the Land Forces Command or the General Staff. Likewise, no one attempted to contact him, provide information, or issue a warning. At around 1:30 a.m., upon hearing the President announce on live television that a (so-called) coup attempt was underway by certain members of the military, Brigadier General Murat Aygün became fully convinced that he had been drawn into a trap. He immediately ordered the units stationed outside the barracks to return to base.

However, the fact remains that certain civilian groups—who appeared to have prior knowledge of the so-called coup attempt—even before Brigadier GeneralMurat Aygün, the commander of a key brigade in Ankara, had any awareness of it, had already taken to the streets. These groups, reportedly mobilized under the coordination of the Polatlı district branch of the AK Party, were positioned along the roads in anticipation of the approaching

military units. In a similarmanner, civilian groupshad gathered in front of the brigade’s main gate in the early hours and began provoking the military personnel. Meanwhile, accompanied by the salas (Islamic calls) broadcast from mosques, public announcements were urging civilians to resist the military.

As a result, after realizing the gravity of the situation and understanding that they had been drawn into a trap, BrigadierGeneral Murat Aygün and the personnel who had been deployed outside the barracks chose to return to base without pointing their weapons at anyone or responding to the provocations of the crowd. However, organized groups of civilians obstructed their return by puncturing the tiresof military vehicles, physically assaulting some of the soldiers, and ultimately preventing them from re-entering the barracks. At the same time, salas continued to be broadcast from mosques, and the public was being called into the streets to resist the so-called coup-plotting soldiers. Brigadier General Murat Aygün, who wished for his troops to return safelyto the barracks without any confrontation or conflict with civilians, attempted to speak with the local Mufti, expressing that it was inappropriate to call on the publicto resist soldiers who weremerely trying to return to base. However, the Mufti’s office later claimed that Brigadier General Aygün had sought to silence the salas and stated in their testimony that they possessed audio recordings to support this allegation.

Throughout the trial, Brigadier General Murat Aygün and his attorney repeatedly requested that the Mufti submit the alleged audiorecordings to the court as evidence to substantiate his claims. However,their request was denied and effectively ignored by the court.

Since the very first day of the trial, Brigadier General Murat Aygün has consistently maintained in his statements that he did not act with the intention of participating in a coup attempt. He emphasized that, upon realizing at around 1:30 a.m. that both he and his unit had been drawn into a trap, he took full responsibility and issued a clear and decisive order for all units to return to base.

In all his defenses, Brigadier General Murat Aygün neither pleaded for acquittal nor sought pardon. On the contrary, he courageously assumed full responsibility in his capacity as brigade commander and consistently assertedthat the junior personnel— young in both age andrank—who were boundby the principle of absolute obedience, were innocent.

Harun Kılınç