Chaos, uncertainty in Turkey amid attempted coup

A state of chaos and uncertainty continues in Turkey amid a coup attempt that is, nevertheless, said by officials in the country to have been "repelled.”

PressTV reports:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim have separately appeared on television, declaring that the coup attempt — which started on Friday night — is over and that they continue to be in charge.

Erdogan, however, has been flown away from the capital to Istanbul. He has urged his supporters to pour out onto the streets to stop the coup. On Saturday, he urged them to remain on the streets until the situation normalizes.

Gunfire, bomb explosions and military airstrikes continue to be reported in the capital.

Fighting continues

AFP cited NTV television as saying on Saturday that a fighter jet dropped bombs near the Turkish presidential palace in Ankara. Plumes of black smoke were seen rising over the Bestepe district where the palace is located, according to the TV.

A presidential source said Turkish F-16s were launching airstrikes against tanks outside the palace.

Reuters cited CNN Turk as saying on Saturday that Turkish authorities shot down a military helicopter firing on the offices of state satellite operator Turksat.

A senior official has said Turkish military headquarters are now held by pro-government forces, but small groups of rebel soldiers are still resisting.

Coup launched


A faction of the Turkish military declared last night that it had fully seized control of the country and that Erdogan and Yildirim were no more in charge.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported a bomb explosion at the parliament building.
Soldiers and tanks took to the streets late on Friday and multiple explosions rang out throughout the night in Ankara and Istanbul, the two biggest cities of the strategic NATO member country.

Gunfire could be heard across the capital as military warplanes and helicopters were flying low over the city.

Coup ‘repelled’

However, on Saturday morning, the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) said the coup attempt in the country has been "repelled” and the situation has been restored to "normal.”

Prime Minister Yildirim also announced in the early hours of Saturday morning that the situation is largely under control and that a no-fly zone was imposed over Ankara.

A number of renegade soldiers have reportedly surrendered in Istanbul. Reuters quoted a witness as saying that Erdogan’s supporters have attacked the soldiers who surrendered.

Uncertainty

"Normal,” however, does not seem to explain the situation in the country correctly.

A senior Turkish official, whose name was not mentioned in the reports, has said bomb attacks continue on the parliament building in Ankara.
The official added that rebel soldiers have been warned they will be shot down if they attempt to use more military aircraft.

‘60 killed’

Sixty people were killed in the Turkish capital, Ankara, during the attempted coup, a senior Turkish official said.

Turkey’s state news agency reported on Saturday that 754 members of the Turkish armed forces have been arrested across Turkey.

Who’s to blame?

There are conflicting reports about who exactly the coup plotters were. Factions of the military apparently took on each other during the attempt.

Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News quoted Erdogan as telling CNN Turk that the US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen was responsible for the attempted coup.

Gulen, once Erdogan’s mentor, is now his perceived enemy number one.

However, he strongly condemned the attempted coup in a statement on Saturday.

"As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt. I categorically deny such accusations,” Gulen said in a brief statement just before midnight Friday.
A group affiliated with the opposition Gulen Movement had condemned the coup attempt against the Turkish government earlier.

Erdogan has also said he does not know the whereabouts of army chief General Hulusi Akar, who was reported earlier to have been taken hostage by the coup plotters.

Meanwhile, General Umit Dundar, the commander of the First Army, has been appointed by Yildirim as the acting chief of military staff to cover Akar.