Turkish police detain more ISIL recruits

ISTANBUL

Turkish security forces over the last three days until July 12 detained 45 foreign nationals seeking to cross into Syria to join Islamic State ofIraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadists from the southeastern city of Gaziantep, Doğan News Agency has reported.

Turkish authorities arrested 21 suspected members of the group in Istanbul and elsewhere on July 10. Doğan said that on July 12 alone, 25 foreign nationals, mainly citizens of Tajikistan, had been arrested at Gaziantep bus station.

It said that police units had been working intensively at the bus station since July 10 and had in total detained 45 people who wanted to cross into Syria to join ISIL.

Many would-be jihadists had also brought their families with them, it added.

The suspects have undergone health checks and are being interrogated, after which they will likely be deported.

In a separate operation, Turkey had on July 10 detained 21 suspected members of ISIL, of whom three were foreigners, in several cities including İstanbul, Anadolu agency said.