Turkish Military: It Has Taken Over Country

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, a NATO member, 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 they would be given the "necessary response".

Reports of violence are increasingly emerging from Istanbul and the capital Ankara.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency is reporting that 17 police officers have been killed in a helicopter attack on their headquarters in Ankara.
A Turkish F-16 fighter jet has reportedly shot down a military helicopter over Ankara, according to broadcaster NTV.

Witnesses say gunfire and at least one loud explosion have been heard in the city, with an unconfirmed report of a blast at a state-run television building.

Hostages are also reported to have been taken at the military headquarters, with a top general said to be among them.

In Istanbul, meanwhile, TV footage shows people ducking and running for cover as shots ring out on the city's main Bosporus bridge.
According to a report quoted by news agency AP, soldiers fired the shots at a crowd of people trying to cross the bridge in protest against the coup, injuring several.

Military vehicles earlier blocked two main bridges in the city, including the Bosporus bridge. 

Tanks have also been stationed at the city's Ataturk airport, where all flights have been diverted or cancelled.

The TRT broadcaster, meanwhile, 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 US president Barack Obama UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, have issued statements calling for calm.

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