There has been a military coup in Turkey. The country’s Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, announced that some senior soldiers engaged in a “coup attempt.”
Aljazeera quotes Mr. Yildirim as saying on Friday evening that the “perpetrators” will be contained. He said some generals in the country’s military were involved in the attempted takeover.
It is not yet clear how much of the country the coup plotters control. Turkey’s main Ataturk international airport has been shut down and all flights have been cancelled, Aljazeera reports. Major bridges and businesses in Istanbul have also been shut.
Turkey, a member of NATO, has experienced at least three military coups since 1960. The last attempt, which occurred in 1997, forced the resignation of then-prime minister Nemettin Erbakan. The ruling AK Party has been in power since 2002.