ANKARA – Turkish police on Friday detained 85 military personnel incountrywide raids over alleged links to the group blamed for the 2016failed coup, state media reported.

Prosecutors in Ankara issued arrest warrants for 110 active duty personnelin the air force, state-run news agency Anadolu said, as part of a probeinto followers of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Police launched operations in 16 provinces including Ankara while thosedetained in other cities would be taken to the Turkish capital.

Five of those sought by police were pilots while three were colonels, theagency added.

Turkey claims Gulen ordered the attempted overthrow of President RecepTayyip Erdogan on July 15, 2016 but he strongly denies the charges.

Over 77,000 people including military personnel, teachers and judges havebeen arrested over suspected links to Gulen under the two-year state ofemergency imposed five days after the coup bid. The government ended theemergency this July.

Western allies have expressed concern over the scale of the crackdown whichsaw over 140,000 people suspended or sacked from the public sector.

In the face of stringent criticism, Ankara has insisted the raids arenecessary to remove the “virus” that is the Gulen movement’s infiltrationof key Turkish institutions.

Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999,denies this and insists his movement is peaceful, and promotes moderateIslam and secular education. – APP/AFP