On the night of July 15, the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Maj. Gen. Aksakallı heard about the coup attempt as he was not present in the headquarters. His official car was intercepted by three military vehicles on the way to the Presidential Complex. He nevertheless managed to get away from the ambush of the pro-coup troops, which were seeking to capture him. He learned that Brigadier general Semih Terzi, commander of the 1st Special Forces Brigade in Silopi, southeastern Anatolia, was assigned by the coup plotters to take over the Special Forces Command. He quickly ordered his right-hand man, the staff sergeant Halisdemir by phone to take out Terzi in order to prevent this action.