‘Attempt’ at Coup in Turkey, Prime Minister Says

Turkey’s prime minister says a group within Turkey’s military has engaged in what appeared to be an attempted coup.

The Associated Press reported that Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said a group in the military engaged in an attempted coup.

Binali Yildirim told NTV television: “it is correct that there was an attempt” when asked if there was a coup.

Yildirim didn’t provide details, but said Turkey would never allow any “initiative that would interrupt democracy.”

“We will fight with these anti-democratic and illegal actions,” Yildirim said later on A Haber TV.

The U.S. State Department confirmed reports of gunshots and a “possible attempted uprising” in Turkey. If said there were reports social media is blocked in the country, and urged Americans to use email, phone calls and text messages to call loved ones.

Turkish television showed military tanks at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul. The newspaper Hurriyet reported the airport is closed. Earlier, military jets were reportedly head flying low over the capital, Ankara.

Istanbul’s Bosphorus Bridge and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge were both closed on Friday, local television channels reported without giving a reason, according to Reuters.

“There are certain groups who took the arms trusted to them by the state and pointed them toward state employees,” Yildirim said on NTV, according to the AP. “We shall determine soon who they are. Our security forces have acted against these groups.”

Dogan News Agency reported the national police directorate summoned all police to duty in Ankara, Reuters reported.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s whereabouts were unclear. The Turkish sister channel of CNN said he was “safe.”

Erdogan has ruled Turkey since 2003. He was elected president in 2014 in the first direct presidential election, after serving as prime minister for three terms.

Erdogan has been criticized in recent years over crackdowns on media freedoms, following a corruption investigation that was shut down as an attempt to overthrow him.

The joint US-Turkish Military Base at Incirlik, located in Adana, and other outlying bases have gone to “Force Protection Condition Delta.” According to U.S. military documents, Force Protection Condition DELTA dictates all missions halt except base security.

As of July 1, 2,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed in Turkey, along with 600 civilian government personnel work for the U.S. government in Turkey, of which 350 are Turkish nationals