Turkish prosecutors order arrest of 176 military personnel over alleged Gulen links

Turkey has ordered the arrest of 176 serving military personnel for their suspected links to the network that Ankara says was behind an attempted coup in 2016, the Istanbul chief prosecutor's office said on Tuesday.

Among those facing arrest were a colonel, two lieutenant-colonels, five majors, seven captains and 100 lieutenants, Reuters reports. The arrest operation encompasses the army, air force and navy, according to the statement.

Ankara says the failed putsch was masterminded by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has denied any involvement in it.

More than 77,000 people have since been jailed pending trial and about 150,000 civil servants, military personnel and others have been sacked or suspended from their jobs in the three-year purge since the failed coup.