165 suspects under arrest in Turkey in relation to ISIL

ANKARA

DHA Photo

Some 165 suspects are currently under arrest in Turkey on charges related to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a senior Turkish official has announced.

“Turkey is continuing its struggle against Daesh [ISIL]. In addition to our own struggle, we are also conducting air strikes against Daesh targets. This will continue. Our efforts to form terror-free zones on the border are continuing. With regard to the fight against Daesh, the entry into Turkey of 20,000 people has been banned. Five hundred people have been taken into custody and 165 have been arrested,” Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın told reporters at a press conference on Sept. 15.

He also stated that all responsibility for foreign fighters should not be put on Turkey’s shoulders and everyone should share it, including source countries.

Some 126 people were in Turkish prisons charged with being a member of ISIL as of Aug. 10, 2015, the Justice Ministry had said in a reply released in late August upon a question submitted by Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Faysal Sarıyıldız.

Facing criticism for not better controlling its southeastern borders, the Turkish authorities have accelerated police operations against ISIL suspects in the country since early 2015.