ANKARA, Nov 10 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkey will start sending captured foreign Daesh fighters to their countries next week, amid a row with Europe.
Over the last week, Turkish interior minister, Suleyman Soylu, has several times criticised European countries for inaction, vowing to repatriate Daesh militants, even if their citizenship has been revoked.
“We are telling you that we are going to send them back to you. We are starting this on Monday (tomorrow),” said the minister, without indicating to which countries the unknown number would be sent.
Earlier this week, Soylu warned European states and urged them to take immediate action, saying, “Turkey is not a hotel for foreign terrorists.”
Following its military incursion in northeastern Syria in Oct, the interior minister stated that, Ankara had about 1,200 foreign fighters and members of their families in its custody, 287 of whom had been captured during its cross-border operation.
The Ministry of Justice is working on legal ways to repatriate those militants to their countries of origin and “will soon take the necessary steps.”
Several European Union members have stripped their citizens detained in Iraq and Syria of their nationality, preventing them to return home, fearing that they would radicalise people there. They, instead, are insisting that these fighters and family members be convicted in their country of detention.
Britain has stripped more that 100 people of their citizenship for allegedly joining jihadist groups abroad.
But Ankara criticizes Western countries for resisting repatriation by revoking citizenships. “This is sheer irresponsibility,” Soylu said.
“The logical thing to do is to send these people to their countries of origin. But, until now the international community has been unable to find common ground for a solution to the issue,” Erol Basaran Bural, analyst at Ankara think-tank 21st Century Institute, said.
“European nations are seemingly closing their eyes to the issue, and Turkey is pressuring them to open them and confront the matter,” he added.
A Turkish source close to the government said that, international law permits that Turkey deports Daesh fighters caught in Turkey, to their countries of origin.
“However there is a legal imbroglio concerning militants captured in Syria, where the central government has no say,” a point that Western countries have until now used in their favour, he added.
It is expected that the Turkish leader will discuss the issue with U.S. President, Donald Trump, at a planned meeting at the White House on Nov 13.– NNN-ANADOLU