Yildirim and other officials blamed loyalists of a US -based cleric for the coup attempt; his movement denied any part in it.
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2320 – Kerry says emphasised “absolute support for Turkey’s democratically elected, civilian government and democratic institutions” in phone call with Turkish foreign minister.
Turkey, a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member with the second biggest military in the Western alliance, is one of the most important allies of the United States in the fight against Islamic State, which seized swathes of neighbouring Iraq and Syria.
A group led by Fethullah Gulen, whose followers were cited by the president of Turkey as being behind the coup attempt, issued a statement on Friday night condemning any military intervention in domestic politics.
Turkey joined North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in 1952 and has maintained its membership in spite of past military coups and other institutional turmoil. “The U.S. government will have to defend the elected government. knowing, that the military can count on considerable support among Turks that are exhausted of an increasingly authoritarian president and continuing terrorist attacks in their country”.
More tweets report about explosions heard in Istanbul.
In the capital Ankara, warplanes and helicopters roared overhead.
Reuters reports that the Turkish military has said in statement that military has taken over. That policy, according to analysts, backfired when Turkey took on a more active role in the US -led coalition against the extremists, who have since been blamed for a series of deadly bombings on Turkish soil.
Meanwhile, Turks poured out into the streets despite the sound of explosions and gunfire in Istanbul.
Earlier reports from Turkish news agencies that suggested Russian troops entering the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation country have proved to be nothing more than five drunks losing their way and have been detained by Turkish border guards. “The perpetrators will pay the heaviest price”. All flights are cancelled, reports say.
The group, the Alliance for Shared Values, said: “Events on the ground are moving quickly and it would be irresponsible for us to speculate on them”. Security forces had been called in to “do what is necessary”, Yildirim said from Mongolia.
As the coup attempt unfolded, security forces in Istanbul blocked two bridges connecting the Anatolian side to the European side of the city.
An earlier statement attributed to the military said that Turkish armed forces have “fully seized control” of the country.
The Dogan agency reported that a statement from the military said that the military did this “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”.
Fighter jets under the control of loyalist forces were flying over the capital to strike at helicopters flown by coup supporters, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.
The military said that “all global agreements and commitments will remain”. Two other tanks and a military vehicle were stationed in front of the VIP terminal.
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Istanbul’s Bosphorus Bridge and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge were both closed. “We pledge that good relations with all world countries will continue”. “Our Embassy is monitoring the situation closely”. Erdogan sees Turkey’s greatest enemy as Assad, who has generally managed to hold on to power, and the array of armed Kurdish forces, some of whom have proven to be the United States’ best-trained allies in fighting Islamic State. In the post-Cold War environment, Turkey’s geostrategic importance shifted towards its proximity to the Middle East, the Caucasus and the Balkans.
