{UAH} Allan/Pojim/WBK: Turkey's Military Declares Coup As Soldiers Are Deployed Across Country

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_57893ec5e4b03fc3ee50db8a

Turkey's Military Declares Coup As Soldiers Are Deployed Across Country

ISTANBUL ― The Turkish military announced late Friday that it had taken over the country, triggering confusion and terror across the nation.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced that an attempted military uprising was ongoing during a broadcast on the NTV television. Turkey would never allow any "initiative that would interrupt democracy," he vowed.

"Some people illegally undertook an illegal action outside of the chain of command," Yildirim also said. "The government elected by the people remains in charge. This government will only go when the people say so."

Military jets and helicopters buzzed overhead sending car alarms wailing throughout Istanbul and Ankara as forces closed Istanbul's two main bridges across the Bosphorus strait. Tanks pulled into the entrance of Istanbul's Ataturk airport ― the largest in the country ― according to Turkish television news reports. A Reuters witness described hearing gunshots in the capital.

BULENT KILIC via Getty Images

Turkish security officers detain police officers on the side of the road as they shut down the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul.

Both Twitter and Facebook appeared to be slowed and blocked, even with a Virtual Private Network, in parts of the country. The Turkish government frequently throttle the internet after major events like terrorist attacks.

Officials were tight-lipped about developments: "I don't have anything to add at this time," a senior Turkish government official said late Friday night.

Turkey's Military Declares Coup As Soldiers Are Deployed Across Country

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_57893ec5e4b03fc3ee50db8a

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