ANKARA 

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in the capital Ankara on Friday issued arrest warrants for 101 Turkish military personnel, including one brigadier and several colonels, over suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup.

As part of a probe into FETO’s Air Force Command structure, the suspects are being sought over suspected contacts with "covert imams", a term used to refer to other suspected senior members within the terrorist organization, said judicial sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Seventy eight of the suspects had previously been suspended from duty, while 23 others were dismissed over suspected links to FETO.

In Ankara-based nationwide operations launched across 22 provinces, 37 suspects have been arrested so far. The operations are still ongoing.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

Since the defeated coup attempt, operations have been ongoing in the military, police and judiciary, as well as in state institutions across the country, to arrest suspects with alleged links to FETO.

Reporting by Zafer Fatih Beyaz, Serdar Acil, Cankut Tasdan:Writing by Cansu Dikme