Turkey Coup: At least 160 Dead In Ankara; General Umit Dundar Appointed As New Acting Army Chief | NWI

At least 160 people were killed during overnight clashes in capital Ankara following an attempted coup in Turkey. (Image: ANI/Twitter)

At least 161 people were killed and 3000 others were detained during overnight clashes in capital Ankara following an attempted coup in Turkey, local media quoted the prosecutor’s office as saying on Saturday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, soon after he landed at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport earlier Saturday, said the resort town of Marmaris in southwestern Turkey was bombed as the attackers thought he “was still there”.

He blamed the ongoing coup attempt in his country on the movement led by Turkey’s Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen now living in the US state of Pennsylvania.

The Turkish leader also revealed that his secretary general was taken away. “What are you going to do with my secretary general?” he asked.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the situation was largely under control, the BBC reported.

He has ordered the military to shoot down aircraft being used by coup plotters, the BBC reported.

Earlier, one of the helicopters being flown by forces involved in the coup attempt was shot down over Ankara.

A no-fly zone over Ankara has been declared.

However, the whereabouts of the military chief of staff remains unknown and sporadic gunfire is still reported in major cities, BBC noted.

According to CNN, Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport has reopened and news channels have begun broadcasting again, after being temporarily shut down by soldiers earlier in the night.

Meanwhile, a group of soldiers on Saturday entered state-run Hurriyet daily building taking several journalists hostage following a military coup attempt underway in Turkey.

CNN Türk’s broadcast also went off air after soldiers entered the Dogan Media Centre.

A local person has taken over the live broadcast in the early hours of Thursday, saying that the corridors of the building were under the control of the police’s special forces.

Tanks and soldiers are on the streets, protesters are mustering forces, with gunfire and explosions punctuating the chaos.

Meanwhile, General Umit Dundar, commander of the First Army, has been appointed as acting chief of Army.

#WATCH Gunfire and explosions near Bosphorus Bridge (Istanbul) as military attempted coup last night.https://t.co/oS2MUMHuNT

— ANI (@ANI_news) July 16, 2016