Turkey orders the arrest of hundreds of military over alleged coup ties

The Adadolu news agency said the operation, led by prosecutors in the western city of Izmir, was spread over 50 provinces. It said the investigation targeted suspects in the army and air force, including five colonels and 10 captains.

Turkish police detained 198 people, including soldiers, in nationwide raids on Tuesday, Anadolu reported.

Unceasing crackdown

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested and jailed pending trial since 2016 on alleged suspicion of belonging to Gulen’s movement. In addition, more than 100,000 civil servants, among them teachers and police officers, have been sacked or suspended from their jobs for suspected links to the cleric.

Critics of the Turkish government say the crackdown aims to suppress any dissent in the country. Turkish officials say that they are trying only to remove Gulen’s influence within state bodies.