Military coup attempt in Turkey; Erdogan calls uprising treason
16 July 2016 7:49 AM IST16 July 2016 7:49 AM IST
The attempted coup brought new instability to the Middle East region, with Turkey a key powerbroker in the ongoing Syria conflict.
Government officials insisted that a small group within the military was behind the attempted coup, while the army officials claimed to have seized power. (Photo: AP)- Members of Turkey's armed forces said they had taken control of the country Friday as explosions, gunfire and a reported air battle between loyalist forces and coup supporters erupted in the capital.
- At least 60 people, including 17 police officers were killed and over 754 others were arrested after clashes broke out in the Turkish capital, NTV reported, citing the chief prosecutor's office in the capital's Golbasi district.
- Earlier, Erdogan said that he did not know the whereabouts of Turkey's top general after an attempted coup. I don't know the circumstances regarding the chief of staff, General Hulusi Akar, Erdogan told reporters after flying into Istanbul, following reports earlier on state media he was taken hostage by the coup plotters.
- Plumes of black smoke were seen rising over the Bestepe district where the palace is located, NTV television reported.
- As the crisis unfolded, there were reports that access to popular social media sites like Twitter and Facebook had been blocked within the country.
- Soldiers blocked entry to Istanbul's main Ataturk Airport, where four tanks were stationed, according to the private Dogan news agency. Two other tanks and a military vehicle were stationed in front of the VIP terminal. Dogan said the soldiers had entered the tower and stopped all flights.
- The coup leaders said they had seized control to reinstall the constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms, to ensure that the rule of law once again reigns in the country, for the law and order to be reinstated.
- Turkey's state-run news agency said military helicopters have also attacked the headquarters of TURKSAT satellite station on the outskirts of Ankara and the Ankara police headquarters.
- The action began Friday night, with fighter jets buzzing overhead, gunfire erupting outside military headquarters and vehicles blocking two major bridges in Istanbul.
- A dozen tanks were seen moving moving toward a palace used by the prime minister and deputy prime ministers. When a car tried to stop one of the tanks, the tank rammed through the vehicle. Those in the car escaped.
- Erdogan, in an interview over FaceTime with the CNN Turk station, dismissed the military action as an attempt at an uprising by a minority within our armed forces.
- The chaos capped a period of political turmoil in Turkey blamed on the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which has included a government shake up, a crackdown on dissidents and opposition media and renewed conflict in the mainly Kurdish areas of the southeast.
- Soldiers fired on a group of people trying to cross the Bosporus bridge to protest the attempted coup, and that some people have been hurt. TV footage showed people running for cover as shots rang out.
- Turks appeared to heed that call early Saturday marching through the streets of Izmir and Istanbul waving Turkish flags, according to television footage. Crowds also gathered in the main square in the capital, Ankara.
- Turkey's president remained defiant and called on people to take to the streets to show support for his embattled government.
Members of Turkey\'s armed forces said they had taken control of the country Friday as explosions, gunfire and a reported air battle between loyalist forces and coup supporters erupted in the capital.
The attempted coup brought new instability to the Middle East region, with Turkey a key powerbroker in the ongoing Syria conflict.
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