Turkish Crowds Rally For Democracy Calls After Coup Attempt .

Large crowds have gathered in Istanbul and other cities after calls by Turkish
authorities to defend democracy after the failed military coup.
Less than 24 hours earlier thousands turned out to help rebuff the plot.
President Erdogan wants the extradition of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen over the plot. But Mr Gulen rejects any suggestion of links to what happened.
Nearly 3,000 soldiers have been detained and some 2,700 judges sacked as the
government re-asserts power.
Generals are reported to be among those detained.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called the coup attempt a "black stain on Turkish
democracy".
Explosions and firing were heard in key cities on Friday night. Official figures put the number of civilians and police killed at 161, while 104 soldiers involved in the coup also died. The number of injured was 1,440.
Why did coup happen? - Jeremy Bowen, BBC News Middle East Editor
The attempted coup happened because Turkey is deeply divided over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's project to transform the country and because of the contagion of violence from the war in Syria.
President Erdogan and his AK Party have become experts at winning elections, but there have always been doubts about his long-term commitment to democracy. He is a
political Islamist who has rejected modern Turkey's secular heritage. Mr Erdogan has become increasingly authoritarian and is trying to turn himself into a strong executive president.
From the beginning Mr Erdogan's government has been deeply involved in the war in Syria, backing Islamist opposition to President Assad. But violence has spread across the border, helping to reignite the fight with the Kurdish PKK, and making Turkey a target for the jihadists who call themselves Islamic State.
That has caused a lot of disquiet. Turkey has faced increasing turmoil and the attempt to overthrow President Erdogan will not be the last of it.
Events began on Friday evening as tanks took up positions on two of the bridges over the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, blocking traffic. Troops were seen on the streets and low-flying military jets were filmed over Ankara.
An army faction then issued a statement that a "peace council" was running Turkey and had launched the coup "to ensure and restore constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms".
During the violence, the Turkish parliament and presidential buildings in Ankara were attacked. Gunfire was also heard outside Istanbul police headquarters and tanks were said to be stationed outside Istanbul airport.
There were reports of fierce clashes in Taksim Square and gunfire and explosions wereheard near the square. One of the helicopters being flown by rebels was reportedly shotdown by government troops in Ankara.
President Erdogan, then in the south-west resort of Marmaris, made a televised address
via his mobile phone, urging people to take to the streets to oppose the uprising.
After flying to Istanbul, Mr Erdogan said: "What is being perpetrated is a treason and a rebellion. They will pay a heavy price."