Early Friday morning, Turkey launched a sweeping operation that led to the arrest of 65 military and police officers suspected of links to the Gulen network—the group Ankara blames for the 2016 coup attempt.
According to state-run Anadolu Agency, 56 active-duty soldiers were detained in coordinated raids across 36 provinces, mostly centered in Istanbul.
Meanwhile, Halk TV reported that nine police officers were arrested separately, adding to the growing list of individuals accused of involvement with FETO, short for the “Fethullah Terror Organisation.”
For regular citizens, the news lands like déjà vu. It’s been nearly nine years since tanks rolled through Ankara, and yet the purge continues. If you thought it all ended when the coup failed, you’re not alone—but Turkey isn’t done yet.
The preacher at the heart of it all, Fethullah Gulen, passed away in October 2023. Exiled in the United States since 1999, he was once a close ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before their relationship soured dramatically.
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Since the attempted coup, Erdogan’s government has gone after Gulen’s network with fierce resolve—raiding schools, firing public servants, and now, arresting those in uniform.
Yes, Gulen’s dead. But in Turkey’s eyes, his influence is not. The state’s message is clear: “The mission survives the man.”
According to prosecutors cited by Halk TV, the latest operation kicked off at 6 a.m. local time. Those detained include members from the air force, gendarmerie, army, and navy—an alarming indication that officials believe Gulen’s network is still embedded deep within Turkey’s security structure.
Whether that’s true or just political theater is up for debate. What isn’t? The government’s unrelenting push to scrub every last trace of FETO from the system.
Let’s call it what it is: a national obsession with ghosts. And in a country that saw its democracy shaken to the core in 2016, perhaps that obsession makes a little sense.
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