Turkey orders arrest of 223 military personnel over suspected FETÖ links

Turkey has ordered the arrest of 223 serving military personnel across the country and in Northern Cyprus over suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), state media said on Saturday.

Authorities are seeking the suspects across 49 provinces in Turkey and in Northern Cyprus, state broadcaster TRT Haber said. It said 100 of those facing arrest were from the army, while 41 from the air force and 32 from the navy.

FETÖ terrorists are led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gülen, who orchestrated Turkey's July 15 coup attempt and is the mastermind behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

The terrorist group is also known for its network comprised of hundreds of schools around the world.

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

Ankara has defended the measures as a necessary response to the scale of the security threat which Turkey faces, vowing to eradicate Gülen's network.