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How Egypt's Brotherhood helped counter Turkey's coup attempt

Putting aside internal differences, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood united behind the Turkish government to thwart a coup attempt July 15, but questions remain about how important the group's support is for the Turkish president.
Supporters of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan celebrate after troops involved in the coup surrendered, in the resort town of Marmaris, Turkey July 16, 2016. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz - RTSI8RT

Egypt's outcast Muslim Brotherhood would be hard-pressed to find a country more welcoming than Turkey, and it appears the group's support might have played a role in quashing the July 15 attempted coup.

Ankara has not demanded the departure of any of the group’s leaders, as Qatar did in September 2014, nor has it opened numerous investigations into the extent of the Brotherhood's involvement in terrorism, as Britain has. Perhaps that is what drove the Brotherhood to call upon Egyptians and Syrians living in Turkey, as well as governments around the world and Turkish civil society, to defend Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after he was targeted by a coup launched by some members of the army.

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