Six years have passed since the heinous coup attempt planned and carried out by the Fetullahist Terrorist Organisation (FETO). On July 15, 2016, this clandestine faction, which had infiltrated into the Turkish Armed Forces over a span of more than 30 years, attempted to topple the democratically-elected government and suspend the constitution of the Republic of Türkiye.

The sinister plot was orchestrated by FETO's ringleader, Fetullah Gülen, who has been living in Pennsylvania, United States, in 'self-imposed exile' since 1999 and is still sheltered there despite Türkiye's efforts for his extradition.

That night, his disciples within the armed forces bombarded the National Parliament, the Presidential Complex, and the headquarters of the armed forces, the police and the intelligence.

They tried to abduct and assassinate the President. These terrorists, under the guise of military uniforms, did not shy away from dastardly attacking innocent civilians and the patriots in the armed forces, killing 251 and wounding thousands in the process.

The coup attempt which could only last less than 12 hours, was thwarted thanks to the brave millions from all walks of life, who selflessly rushed to the streets that night to resist the plotters and defend Türkiye's democracy and constitutional order.

The national unity of the people against FETO's heinous attempt that night is commemorated each year on July 15 as 'Democracy and National Unity Day'.

On its sixth anniversary this year, the entire Turkish nation, along with her friends around the globe, will remember that night of defiance and triumph of Turkish democracy. It would be a mistake to judge the deeds of FETO and its ringleader Gülen only with what transpired on July 15, 2016, as the crimes committed on that night are just the tip of the iceberg.

It all started under the guise of a charitable education movement back in the 1970s when Gülen and his followers started a campaign of establishing schools in Türkiye and later around the globe. At the peak of their power, they controlled thousands of schools in Türkiye and more than 800 educational institutes worldwide. We now understand that this was actually a sinister recruitment and infiltration campaign with the end goal of controlling the Turkish state.

As a matter of fact, FETO recruited children and their parents with promises of better education and good jobs, as well as by abusing their religious sentiments.

These children who were exposed to heavy indoctrination were converted into obeying foot soldiers serving Gülen and his 'messianic' mission, depicting himself as the 'Imam of the Universe'.

To achieve their end goal, FETO members were told to operate undercover and transgress all ethical, religious and personal beliefs.

Using all means such as fraud in entrance exams, they gradually infiltrated critical institutions in the country high-ranking military, judiciary and Foreign Service to the business world and media. Loyal not to theState, but only to their ringleader, they expanded their secretive organisation and became very strong within the state machinery.

High ranking FETO members in state institutions abused their office by using of all kinds of treacherous methods, such as blackmailing, wiretapping and unlawful arrests topurge purge other officials and civil servants who were deemed to be a threat to them. Their media outlets did not refrain from suppressing and lynching those who were against or critical of them.

As the organisation became more affluent, it started meddling in business transactions and government tender processes. Money laundering, illegal cash transfers and other financial crimes became business as usual.

The July 15 coup attempt was FETO's desperate final move to forcefully capture the State, as the Turkish government had discovered and listed most of those disciples, especially among military ranks, and was getting ready to dismiss them. In the past six years since then, the fight against FETO, both inside and outside of Türkiye, has constituted one of the main priorities of the country.

Within this framework, FE- TO's unlawful and clandestine infiltration into governmental institutions has been unveiled; several judicial processes and investigations were carried out in the country, and many of its members were brought to justice on the basis of the rule of law.

Having lost its backbone in Türkiye, the terrorist organisation is now trying to survive abroad. Having footholds in around 160 countries with thousands of educational and business outfits, FETO postes a serious threat to the security of countries where it remains active. Since the coup attempt, the Turkish government has continuously informed the international community, including our Nepali friends, about this new generation, transnational terrorist organisation, which does not hesitate to violate the laws in the host countries in order to expand its political and economic zone of influence.

Fortunately, during the past six years, FETO-affiliated schools and education centres in more than 40 countries were closed down or taken over by the relevant authorities of the concerned governments.

Business enterprises linked to FETO have also lost their power to a large extent in many countries where they used to operate freely.

However, this terrorist organisation is still active with its education, business and media outfits in tens of countries worldwide and has the potential to threaten the respective countries.

Our efforts for fully eliminating the structures of FETO abroad constitutes a long-term fight. Our own struggle against this menace has taught us the necessity of solid international cooperation in counterterrorism efforts. Since no cause or goal justifies terrorism, we expect the international community to denounce all forms of terrorism without any discrimination.

The Turkish government will resolutely maintain its efforts in that regard.

Sunel is Ambassador of Türkiye to Nepal

A version of this article appears in the print on July 15, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.