Alwaght- A military coup run by anti-Erdogan army personnel has swept Turkey midnight, leaving the country in a real confusion on who exactly carried out the anti-government military move.
Turkish President Recep Erdogan reportedly has been out of the capital city of Ankara after news of coup spread throughout the country.
“The military claimed to have seized power from the government, but the government's National Intelligence Unit said the coup had failed,” CNN reported.
Mr. Erdogan broadcast a video message using the smartphone app FaceTime.
His message was aired by CNN Turk broadcaster as he appeared live on CNN Turk via FaceTime on the presenter’s cell phone, saying the ongoing military coup in the country “will be overcome” as he on people to protest.
President Erdogan said that the coup arrangers would pay a high price, continuing that the country would treat them like terrorists.
Erdogan urged the people to come out to the “streets and squares” to show support for his government and to display opposition to what he called acts of “treason” of the coup organizers.
Tens of thousands of protesters took to the street after Erdogan's call to confront the military coup was broadcast on television.
Many waved Turkish flags and they chanted support for President Erdogan.
People in Turkey remain in a state of confusion as everything happens very fast.
The prosecutor’s office has announced that at least 60 people were killed during the coup attempt. Earlier, it said 42 people had been killed in Ankara, RT reported.
The military junta is said to have shut down the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul as people were waking up to see what was happening in the capital.
Tanks driven by the mutineers also were seen across the streets. Some even talked about firing by the tanks at the pro-government protesters.
The tanks were reported to have brought the country's parliament under their fire.
Fighter Jets were seen and heard to be flying low over the capital.
Some reports even talked about bombing the presidential palace by the pro-coup aircraft. An F-16 fighter jet has reportedly shot down a helicopter which was said to be used by pro-coup army personnel.
Bombs were thrown at the Parliament building in the capital Ankara, according to CNN.
All of the passenger flights of the Istanbul airports have been grounded as military jets kept flying midnight over Istanbul skies.
The pro-coup army troops took control of state-run TV station TRT, but later it resumed normal broadcasting by sending on air an address of President Erdogan.
The world is watching
The US President Barack Obama has urged calm in Turkey, calling on people to support government of President Erdogan.
In a statement issued after a meeting with his national security advisers, Obama also urged everyone in Turkey to show restraint and avoid violence or bloodshed in the country.
The European heads of state were reported to be watching the situation closely in Turkey—a key member of the Western military organization NATO.
Reacting to the news of developments coming out from Turkey, the Javad Zarif Foreign Minister of neighboring Iran has expressed his deep concerns over conditions in the neighboring Turkey.
“Deeply concerned about the crisis in Turkey. Stability, democracy and safety of Turkish people are paramount. Unity and prudence are imperative,” Mr. Zarif’s Twitter post read.
“Turkish people's brave defense of democracy and their elected government proves that coups have no place in our region and are doomed to fail,” Zarif continued in a later post.
The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani has said the Islamic Republic was watching the situation in Turkey closely, adding that instability in the neighboring country would damage security of the people there.
