ANKARA 

At least 35 military personnel have been arrested for their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated deadly coup in Turkey, according to a security source.

Prosecutors in the capital Ankara had issued arrest warrants for 48 commissioned officer -- all on active-duty -- in Turkish Air Forces, who were found to have periodically and successively communicated with each other via pay phone, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The operations in 17 provinces saw the arrest of 35 suspects so far.

Hunt for 13 other fugitive personnel continues, the source added.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also 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.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar