Turkey stops more than 36,500 Syria-bound ISIL members so far, minister says

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

AA Photo

Turkey has up to now stopped more than 36,500 people who were allegedly planning to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) via Turkey, Interior Minister Efkan Ala said on Dec. 17.

A majority of the suspected ISIL members were prevented before they entered Turkey, while almost 2,800 were arrested in the country and then deported, Ala told the state-run Anadolu Agency.

“Speaking about this organization [ISIL], we have denied entry to 33,746 people from 123 countries,” he said. 

Turkey has captured a total of 2,783 people from 89 countries on its soil and deported them so far, Ala said. 

“In total 2,783 people from 89 countries were captured in Turkey and deported, in order to prevent their entry into Syria, where they would have joined terrorism activities,” he added.

The interior minister also said Turkey is exchanging intelligence information with a number of countries over on people who may come to Turkey planning to join ISIL across the border. 

“We inform them, they inform us. Those names cannot enter Turkey as a result of this cooperation,” Ala said.