ANKARA, TURKEY – Monday, 9th December 2019. Turkey deported 11 French nationals suspected of being members of the Islamic State (ISIS) armed group.
The country’s interior ministry announced the deportations in a brief statement without providing details or identifying the terror suspects.
Last month, Ankara stepped up the deportations of suspected foreign ISIS members – either held in Turkish prisons or in Syria – back to their countries of origin, saying Turkey was “not a hotel” for foreign fighters.
At least 18 suspects were returned to Germany, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
The Turkish interior ministry said on Sunday an Australian national accused of being an ISIS fighter was also deported.
Ankara says it has about 1,200 foreign ISIL members in custody. Last month, Turkish Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu announced that the country planned to repatriate most to their home countries by the end of the year.
The Monday deportations raised the number of foreign fighters expelled from Turkey to 71 since November 11, Anadolu Agency reported. The deported citizens include those from the United States, Denmark, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
