ISTANBUL: Turkish prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for 70 people,including 58 serving military officials, in an investigation targetingsupporters of the US-based cleric accused of orchestrating an attemptedcoup in July 2016, state media said on Thursday.

The operation was focused on the central Turkish province of Konya, withpolice carrying out simultaneous raids at addresses across 27 provinces,state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

Twelve of the 70 suspects had previously been expelled from the Turkisharmed forces, Anadolu said.

Police operations to detain suspects accused of links to the Islamicpreacher Fethullah Gulen have been a near daily occurrence since the failedputsch of July 15, 2016, in which Gulen has denied any involvement.

Since then more than 50,000 people, including thousands of securitypersonnel and civil servants, have been jailed pending trial and some150,000 suspended or dismissed from their jobs.

Rights groups say the crackdown has been exploited to muzzle dissent. Thegovernment says the measures have been necessary due to the securitythreats which Turkey has faced since the failed coup, in which 250 peoplewere killed.