A Turkish army faction backed by tanks and fighter jets was waging a coup attempt against President Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday. Police special forces and the military are securing the perimeter of the headquarters, the official said. “We are now awaiting a more detailed account from the Turkish authorities due to conflicting information coming to us from Turkey”.
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“Some flights to airports in Turkey are being diverted or cancelled”.
Pakistan government spokesperson said Islamabad supports the will of the people reflected in the democratic system and the democratically elected leadership of Turkey, Xinhua news agency reported.
A senior official said 42 people had been killed in the violence in Ankara alone, majority civilians.
A total of 1,563 military officers detained across Turkey: government official.
The government has claimed the coup has failed.
According to unconfirmed reports Turkish generals are being held hostage at Istanbul HQ, including the chief of staff.
“I condemn, in the strongest terms, the attempted military coup in Turkey”, read the two-paragraph statement. It was led by at least half a dozen generals, as may be judged the arrest of Gen. Memduh Hakbilen, the chief of staff of Turkey’s command for the important Aegean region, among the more than 1,500 alleged plotters and the suspension of another five generals.
Critics also have blamed Erdogan for taking a hard line on Turkey’s Kurdish rebels after the collapse of peace efforts, leading to deadly clashes that have increased military casualties.
Addressing large crowds after landing at Ataturk airport, Erdogan said of the plotters: “They have pointed the people’s guns against the people”.
As of 8:20 am Turkish time Saturday, that’s 11:20 pm Friday our time, the fight for control of the country wedged between the Mediterranean and the Black Seas has shifted away from those behind the coup.
“Ataturk hope to re-commence global departures shortly, but until they do, all inbound flights to Ataturk are being diverted”, Eurocontrol said, although the “situation is unclear”.
The Ankara air traffic control center is operating normally, it added.
The Prime Minister also urged Malaysians in Turkey to be in contact with the Malaysian Embassy in Ankara for any further assistance. “We also call for a swift end to this attempted military coup, and a calm and restrained response by all sides”.
“They will pay a heavy price for this act of treason”, Erdogan said at the airport.
Mr Erdogan put the blame the coup on supporters of US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen.
Turkish Prime Minister Yildirim reportedly said that the Turkish military was involved in an attempted coup d’etat.
A successful overthrow of Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey since 2003, would have marked one of the biggest shifts in the Middle East in years, transforming one of the most important USA allies while war rages on its border.
Mr Johnson said officials were working hard to “do the best” for the many Britons in Turkey and urged them to follow the Foreign Office’s updated travel advice which continues to “strongly advise” holidaymakers and others to stay indoors. There was no immediate word from Erdogan.
“The Turkish Armed Forces, in accordance with the constitution, have seized management of the country to reinstate democracy, human rights, and freedom, and to ensure public order, which has deteriorated”, the statement said.
But, he said, “this coup failed because it lacked popular support, political support and worldwide support”.
“The military commanders have made it clear that the coup plotters violated the chain of command”, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told NTV.
“The government elected by the people remains in charge”. Hours earlier, as the coup attempt got under way, his office declined to say where he was and he was forced to give an interview over FaceTime to a television station.
The surrender of one unit of 60 soldiers one one of Istanbul’s bridges was shown live on TV on Saturday morning. Helicopters seen overhead in Istanbul.
Dogan News Agency reported the national police directorate had summoned all police to duty in Ankara. Gunfire was heard in Ankara and military jets flew low over Ankara and Istanbul where the bridges over the Bosphorus were blocked.
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Turkey’s armed forces said it “fully seized control” of the country F.
