Turkey: 97 soldiers arrested in anti-FETO operation

By Esber Ayaydin

IZMIR , Turkey (AA) - Nearly 100 Turkish soldiers -- some former, some active-duty -- were arrested across Turkey Tuesday as part of an anti-Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) probe, according to security sources.

On Tuesday, Turkish prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 97 Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) personnel across the country for their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said 38 suspects from the Turkish military were arrested so far in Bursa, 14 in Izmir, 16 in Konya, 23 in Kocaeli, and six in Zonguldak.

Arrest warrants were issued for the suspects as part of a probe into the terror group’s infiltration of the Turkish Armed Forces.

FETO, led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, orchestrated the failed coup attempt of July 15, 2016 which left 251 people martyred and around 2,200 others wounded.

Turkey's government accuses the FETO terror network of staging the coup attempt as well as being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.