ANKARA: Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavu?o?lu has said Turkey also has concerns regarding the return of its citizens after fighting alongside the extremist jihadists in Syria and Iraq.
Speaking to a group of reporters in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, Cavusoglu said a common concern about the foreign militants is what will happen when they return to their countries, the Turkish Hurriyet daily reported.
A common concern about the foreign fighters is: What will happen when they return to their countries? We also have this concern, he told a group of reporters traveling with him to Nicosia, the capital of Turkish Cyprus.
Çavuo?lus statement came a week after al-Qaeda linked terrorists carried out bloody attacks in Paris, killing 17 people. It has been learned that a French woman, Hayat Boumedienne, who is linked with the perpetrators of the attack, crossed into Syria via Turkey days before the attacks. This information has created doubts about the effectiveness of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (M?T) and its European counterparts, as well as the efficiency of Turkeys border control system.
Every country is an open target of DAESH [the Arabic acronym for ISIL]. Turkey is as well. Turkey has always been a target of terror, no matter what measures are taken. It has been targeted by the DHKP-C [The Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Party-Front], the PKK [Kurdistan Workers Party], al-Qaeda and IBDA-C [the Islamic Great East Raiders Front], he said.
This comes as Turkey has time and time again been accused of backing ISIL terrorists in Syria. Ankara rejects the allegation.
In December 2014, Cavusoglu claimed that Turkey had banned the entry of nearly 7,200 suspected pro-ISIL foreign terrorists on their way to join the Takfiri forces in Iraq and Syria.
According to the UN Security Council, 15,000 people from more than 80 countries are estimated to have flocked to Syria and Iraq to fight alongside ISIL and other such groups.
The ISIL militants continue to make advances in Syria and Iraq. The terrorists are engaged in crimes against humanity in the areas under their control. They have terrorized and killed people of all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians.
Underlining that Turkey had designated ISIL as a “merciless terrorist organization” that does not represent Islam in any way, Çavu?o?lu said, Of course, a country that speaks like this is an open target of terror. We therefore have to be cautious and take the necessary measures.
He added that around 500-700 Turkish nationals were fighting in ISIL, less than the number of those who joined ISIL from European countries.
Çavu?o?lu recalled that Boumedienne crossed into Syria through Turkey and that they provided this information to French officials even before being asked.
This shows our sensitivity with regard to foreign fighters [crossing into Syria]. Turkey was accused from the very beginning, but we have provided the figures and measures we have taken. But as you see, although there are units deployed on every part of the 911 kilometer-long border, a passage [into Syria] can always be found, he said.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
