REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, ANKARA -- Turkish authorities discharged 460 personnel from the army, navy, gendarme and coast guard on Friday, a day before the national day of the country. Interior Ministry announced that 153 personnel were sacked from the Gendarmerie and 112 from the Coast Guard Command, while the Defense Ministry said Turkey's land and naval forces dismissed 195 personnel.

The suspensions came as part of an investigation into the movement of the U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara accuses of being behind the failed July 15 military coup. Both ministries said the probe found links between these personnel and the Gulen movement.

Meanwhile, arrest warrants were issued for 73 military pilots in 17 Turkish provinces at the request of the Konya Prosecutor's Office on Thursday, Turkish Yenisafak News reported. Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Wednesday that he had "a productive conversation" with his U.S. counterpart Loretta Lynch in Washington over the extradition of Gulen from the United States.

Bozdag, accompanied by lawmakers from opposition parties, headed to the U.S. on Tuesday to hold talks with Lynch. More than 40,000 people have been detained over suspected links to the Gulen movement since the failed coup.

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