Turkey seeks detention of 110 soldiers over failed coup

Ankara, Oct 13 (IANS) Turkish prosecutors on Tuesday issued detention warrants for 110 soldiers, mostly on active service, over their alleged links to a network believed to be behind a coup attempt in 2016.Police launched simultaneous operations in 25 provinces across the country to nab the suspects upon the order of the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in the western province of Izmir, Xinhua agency reported.Those targeted in the operations include pilots and soldiers of the Air Force and the Coast Guard.So far, 89 of them have been detained.All the suspects have alleged connections with the network headed by the US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, the agency said.The Turkish government blames Gulen and his network for masterminding the coup in July 2016, in which 250 people were killed, and pushes for his extradition. Since the beginning of August, Turkish prosecutors have ordered the detention of more than 500 suspects.
--IANS ksk/