Turkey orders 271 soldiers detained in Gulen probe: state media

US based cleric Fethullah Gulen who attempted a coup against Turkey President Tayyip Erdogan. [Courtesy]

Turkey ordered the detention of 271 soldiers in an operation targeting alleged supporters of the U.S.-based Islamic cleric who Ankara says orchestrated an attempted coup two years ago, state media said on Friday.

The operation was launched in dozens of provinces across Turkey against soldiers who had been in contact with operatives of the preacher Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for being behind the failed July 2016 putsch, broadcaster TRT Haber said.