Turkish police detained 18 soldiers, 15 of them active-duty personnel, in an Adana-based operation targeting alleged links within the military to the Gülen movement, a transnational civic initiative inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.
The operation was ordered by the Adana Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and carried out by the Adana Police Department’s Smuggling and Organized Crime Division across 12 provinces.
Those detained included a major, a first lieutenant and a second lieutenant, according to Turkish media reports.
The detentions were part of the continuing post-coup investigations launched after Turkey’s July 15, 2016 coup attempt.
Ankara designates the Gülen movement as a terrorist organization and blames it for Turkey’s 2016 coup attempt. The movement denies involvement in the coup or any terrorist activity.
The investigation focused on alleged Gülen movement links in the Turkish Armed Forces, according to the reports.
The operation came as Turkish authorities continued large-scale purges and criminal investigations in the military, judiciary, police, education system and civil service after the coup attempt.
