ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey’s foreign minister said Friday that up to 700 Turkish nationals have joined the Islamic State (ISIS), posing a security threat to Turkey when they return.
“Nearly 500-700 Turkish citizens have joined ISIS in Syria and Iraq and this poses a security threat when those radicals return to Turkey,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters. “Therefore, we are anxious,” said the foreign minister.
He said that Turkey has prevented 7,250 people from joining up with ISIS through Turkish borders and authorities deported 1,160 foreign nationals, who came to Turkey to join ISIS, back to their countries.
Ankara has been blamed by anti-ISIS organizations, mainly Kurdish politicians and MPs in Turkey, for reportedly facilitating travel by foreign jihadis into Turkey.
Foreign governments have asked Turkey to tighten its borders and stop suspected jihadis from joining ISIS in neighboring Syria.
Last October, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu promised that his government would not allow “any armed groups to travel to Syria and Iraq via Turkey.”
When it stormed the city of Mosul in Iraq last June, ISIS captured 49 diplomats at the Turkish consulate there, later releasing them in what was believed to be a prisoner exchange whereby Ankara released 200 ISIS supporters and militants from prison.
Turkey has always denied accusations of allowing Islamic militants to cross into Syria for jihad. Ankara has acknowledged, however, that Hayat Boumedienne, a suspect wanted in connection with last week’s deadly attacks in Paris, had escaped across the Turkish border into Syria.
