Turkey deports Moroccan, German for terror links
Ankara continues to deport foreign terrorist fighters to their countries of origin, says Interior Ministry
ANKARA
Turkey deported two foreign terrorist fighters back to their countries, Morocco and Germany, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.
In a statement, the ministry said the Moroccan and German nationals were sent back their countries of origin as part of Turkey’s ramped-up efforts to repatriate foreign terrorist fighters.
The statement did not specify which terror group the fighters belonged to, but in recent months it has been stressing the return of Daesh/ISIS terrorists.
Turkey continues to deport foreign terrorist fighters, the statement added.
The issue of the handling of Daesh/ISIS members and their families detained in Syria -- including foreign members of the terror group -- has been controversial, with Turkey arguing foreign-born terrorists should be returned to their countries of origin.
Ankara has said several European countries resisted its efforts to send Daesh/ISIS members back to their countries, but that it will nevertheless press forward.
Turkey has so far deported 7,500 Daesh/ISIS members, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said early December, adding that there are currently 1,149 Daesh/ISIS terrorists in Turkish prisons.
