1,220 ISIL militants caught on Syrian border: Turkish Army

Uğur Ergan - ANKARA

DHA photo

A total of 1,220 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants were caught on the Syrian border over the past 14 months, the Turkish General Staff has announced.

According to the information, a total of 259 ISIL militants have been caught on the Syrian border since the beginning of the year, including 178 militants caught in January and 81 caught between Feb. 1 and Feb. 21, thus increasing the total number of ISIL militants apprehended in the past 14 months to 1,220.

Of the 81 ISIL militants who were caught in February, 33 had attempted to cross into Turkey while the other 48 had tried to cross into Syria, the information revealed. 

The number of apprehended ISIL militants in February has risen more than fivefold compared to last year’s figure, due to measures taken in terms of security systems across the border.

The information also added ISIL militants were largely caught in the area surrounding and within the Elbeyli district of the southeastern border town of Kilis.

Recently, Turkey detained a total of 29 ISIL suspects, including 14 children, in Elbeyli on Feb. 20.