COUP IN TURKEY MILITARY CLAIMS CONTROL

jewish

8 years ago

Turkish Military Says It Has Taken Over Country

Sky News

The Turkish military claims to have “fully seized control” of the country amid reports of gunfire and explosions.

An announcer on Turkey’s state broadcaster TRT has read out a live statement, reportedly on the orders of the military, announcing that the army has taken control.

The statement said the country is now being run by a “peace council”, declaring that martial law and a nationwide curfew are in place.

In an extraordinary interview with a Turkish broadcaster, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on people to take to the streets in support of the government.

Speaking from an unknown location on a mobile phone held up by the presenter, he said the uprising “attempt” was being run by a minority within the armed forces, warning that it would be given the “necessary response.”

CCN-Turk, meanwhile, is reporting that a loud explosion has been heard at a state-run television building in the capital Ankara.

Gunfire has been heard at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, amid reports that all flights have been cancelled in and out of the airport.

According to one news agency, a top general is among several people being “held hostage” at the military headquarters in Ankara.

Military vehicles are said to be blocking two main bridges in Istanbul, while low-flying military jets are patrolling the Turkish capital, Ankara.

The TRT broadcaster has now gone off air.

“It looks like a relatively well orchestrated coup by a substantial body of the military, not just a few colonels,” an EU source told news agency Reuters.

“They control several strategic points in Istanbul. Given the scale of the operation, it is difficult to imagine they will stop short of prevailing,” the source said.

According to Turkish media, the military statement said it had taken action 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.”

The military statement went on to say that “all international agreements and commitments will remain. We pledge that good relations with all world countries will continue.”

The Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim earlier confirmed that military action is taking place, describing it as an illegal “attempt” by a faction of the army to seize power.

Mr Yildirim called for calm, saying security forces are doing what is necessary to resolve the situation.

He warned that those responsible for this “illegal attempt ” will pay the “highest price.”

Several world leaders, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, have issued statements calling for calm.