Four Turkish workers kept in Arbil over ISIL claim

The agency quoted some of the worker’s relatives, who said they did not have knowledge about the accusations against their kin or their conditions. 

The family of Yasin Abur told the agency that the 23-year old was detained by the KRG police at Arbil International Airport while he was returning to Turkey because of his beard and outfit. 

One week later, on March 31, the police detained Murat Kav, 26, Adem Kav, 30, and Yaşar Atmaca, 22, allegedly after noticing they were connected to Abur on a social media platform. Some 15 masked police reportedly stormed the construction site where the three men worked and detained them.  

Ramazan Kav, the father of Murat Kav and the uncle of Adem Kav, said he applied to the Turkish consulate general to Arbil for the release of his relatives. 

Kav said he and 40 others had been working at a construction project in Arbil undertaken by a Turkish company for four months and they were on their way back to Turkey. 

“After this incident, all the other workers returned to Turkey but I remained here [in Arbil],” he said.  

He called for support from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. 

Seyhan Abur, the father of Yasin Abur who lives in Istanbul, said he did not hear from his son for 20 days, adding that the young man had no ISIL links.