ISTANBUL (REUTERS) - Turkey appointed the head of its First Army, a group of divisions within its land forces, as acting chief of military staff on Saturday (July 16) while the whereabouts of the head of the armed forces was unknown, a senior Turkish official told Reuters.

Umit Dundar was appointed after the head of the military could not be accounted for in the chaos of an attempted coup by rebels in the armed forces.

Local media reports said earlier the chief of staff had been taken hostage.