16 suspected ISIL militants detained in southern Turkey

KİLİS - Anadolu Agency

Cihan Photo

Turkish police have detained over a dozen foreigners near the country’s border with Syria on suspicion of attempting to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). 

The Kilis Governor’s Office said on Aug. 21 that security forces had intercepted 16 suspects in Elbeyli district. According to the office, 14 of the suspects were foreign nationals.

The suspects were subjected to a medical examination before being handed over to the Foreigners Department of the Provincial Security Directorate, a governor’s office statement read.

The arrests come two days after 22 suspected ISIL supporters were detained in another operation in the Elbeyli district.

Meanwhile, Turkey stopped a total of 390 people trying to illegally cross its borders during a recent 24-hour period, the country’s Armed Forces said Aug. 21.

On the Syrian border, 323 were stopped crossing from Syria, while another 14 were arrested attempting to enter the war-torn country. Turkey shares a 900-kilometer border with its neighbor and has received nearly 2 million refugees from the south.

To the north, two people were stopped as they tried to cross into Greece and another 51 near the Bulgarian border. The path through Turkey has become an important migration route for those seeking to reach the European Union.