U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives in Ankara, Turkey, October 17, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis/Pool

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with the Turkish families of three local U.S. mission employees who were detained in Turkey in the aftermath of a 2016 attempted coup, according to reporters traveling with him.

Turkey has detained some 160,000 people and dismissed nearly the same number of civil servants over suspected links to the coup attempt, the U.N. human rights office said in March.

Last week, Ankara released American pastor Andrew Brunson, whose detention was the cause of a major row with Washington and led to U.S. President Donald Trump imposing sanctions on Turkey.