Tanks in Istanbul streets, outside city's airport

anks rolled through the streets of Istanbul on Friday (July 15) as Turkey's military said it had seized power but President Tayyip Erdogan vowed that the attempted coup would be put down.

Airports were shut, access to Internet social media sites was cut off, and troops sealed off the two bridges over the Bosphorus in Istanbul, one of which was still lit up red, white and blue in solidarity with victims of the Bastille Day truck attack in France a day earlier.

A tank could be seen stationed outside the Istanbul Ataturk airport, while heavy traffic gathered on the Bosphorus bridge, which was later fully closed.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the elected government remained in office. However, it appeared that those behind the coup had the upper hand initially.

If successful, the overthrow of Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey since 2003, would be one of the biggest shifts in the Middle East in years, transforming one of the most important U.S. allies in the region while war rages on its border.