Turkey issues detention orders for 3,224 people over alleged links to failed military coup
Authorities arrest more than 1,000 in one day in 'ongoing' operation
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Your support makes all the difference.Turkey has issued detention orders for 3,224 people over alleged links to last year's failed coup, local media reports.
More than 1,000 had already been detained by Turkish authorities, NTV said, accused of secretly infiltrating police forces across the country on behalf of a US-based cleric blamed by the government for last July's coup.
The nationwide sweep was one of the largest operations in months against suspected supporters of the cleric, Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who is now accused by the government of trying to topple him by force.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the overnight crackdown targeted a Gulen network "that infiltrated our police force, called 'secret imams'.
"One thousand and nine secret imams have been detained so far in 72 provinces, and the operation is ongoing," he told reporters in Ankara.
In the aftermath of the failed July coup, authorities arrested 40,000 people and sacked or suspended 120,000 from a wide range of professions including soldiers, police, teachers and public servants, over alleged links with terrorist groups.
The latest detentions came 10 days after voters narrowly backed plans to expand Mr Erdogan's already wide powers in a referendum which opposition parties and European election observers said was marred by irregularities.
A leading European human rights body has placed Turkey on a watchlist over concerns about the functioning democratic institutions in the country.
The referendum bitterly divided Turkey.
Mr Erdogan's critics fear further drift into authoritarianism, with a leader they see as bent on eroding modern Turkey's democracy and secular foundations.
The Turkish President argues strengthening the presidency will avert instability associated with coalition governments, at a time when Turkey faces multiple challenges including security threats from Islamist and Kurdish militants.
"In Turkey, there was an attempted coup with a goal of toppling the government and destroying the state," he said in an interview with Reuters.
"We are trying to cleanse members of FETO inside the armed forces, inside the judiciary and inside the police," he added, using an acronym for the label, Gulenist Terrorist Organisation, which the government has given to Mr Gulen's supporters.
The president compared the struggle against Mr Gulen with the state's battle against Isis and Kurdish PKK militants, who are designated terrorist organisations by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.
"We are going to keep up the fight in terms of democracy, fundamental rights and liberties, but at the same time we are going to keep up the fight against PKK, FETO and other terrorist organisations such as Daesh [Isis]," he said.
"We will continue down this path in a very committed fashion."
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