Turkey has ordered the arrest of 176 serving military personnel over suspected links to the network of Fethullah Gulen which Ankara says was behind an attempted coup three years ago, the Istanbul chief prosecutors' office said on Tuesday.
Among those facing arrest were a colonel, two lieutenant colonels, five majors, seven captains and 100 lieutenants in an operation encompassing the army, air force and navy, the statement said.
Ankara says US-based Gulen masterminded the failed putsch on July 15, 2016. He has denied any involvement.
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.
Despite Western criticism, Ankara says the clampdown is a necessary response to the scale of the security threat which Turkey faces.
Turkish police launched nationwide raids last Tuesday to detain 152 individuals accused of ties to Gulen.
