1040 EST: Erdogan begins purges of military and government officials. Rounds up and arrests thousands. White House clearly caught off guard and still remains without policy plan to move forward. Obama still hasn’t directly addressed nation and no official word from State Department on the safety and security of Americans trapped in Turkey during the failed coup.
0830 EST: Situation in Turkey stabilizing. Coup appears to have failed, but pockets of resistance remain in Ankara.
Saturday, July 16, 2016
1911 EST: Celebrations now reported in Adana and Istanbul. Fighting continues in Ankara.
1855 EST: People cheering and waving flags and honking horns in Istanbul.
1845 EST: Bombs are heard going off near US Embassy in Ankara.
1834 EST: Heavy explosions heard around Ankara. Aircraft bombing multiple locations. US personnel in danger and pinned down.
1817 EST: Turkish Police Headquarters under heavy attack by aircraft. US personnel in area at risk.
1745 EST: Turkish Armed Forces announce they have detained top Turkish officials to include Chief of Defense.
1710 EST: US Embassy in Ankara announces access points to both Istanbul Ataturk Intl and Sabiha Gokcen Intl Airports have been sealed. Flight ops at Istanbul Ataturk have been suspended. Flight ops at Sabiha Gokcen will be suspended within next 30 minutes. All personnel are urged to exercise extreme caution and heightened vigilance.
1631 EST: Military helicopters and jets confirmed over Ankara. Power has been cut to portions of the city.
1504 EST: Stand-by for updates as this situation is still developing, fluid, and uncertain. If events and reports coming out of Turkey are accurate, a major geopolitical crisis is unfolding in Europe.
Friday, July 15, 2016
Guiles Hendrik
July 15, 2016
