A total of 19 suspects were detained in counterterrorism operations across Turkey for their alleged links to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).

An arrest warrant had been issued for some 20 soldiers by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Ankara.

The soldiers -- all serving lieutenants -- are suspected of communicating with "covert imams" of FETÖ.

FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which killed 251 people and injured nearly 2,200 others.

Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.