 With the opposition out of the way, the plan was executed, with lieutenant general Hasan Kundakçı at the helm of the military operations.Professional assassins like Abdullah Çatlı and Alaattin Çakıcı took part, along with 2,500–5,000 members of the special forces.Many of these men were plucked from the ranks of the clandestine Counter-Guerrilla; the Turkish branch of the Operation Gladio.