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Turkey to send foreign Daesh terrorists back to their home: Minister Soylu

Turkey will start extraditing foreign Daesh terrorists, who were captured by Turkey-led forces in northeastern Syria as a part of the Operation Peace Spring, to their countries of origin as of next Monday, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu told reporters on Friday. "Now we are telling you that we are going to send them back to you. We are starting this on Monday," Soylu said, referring to members of the Daesh (ISIS).

Agencies and A News WORLD
Published November 08,2019
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Turkey will start sending foreign Daesh terrorists back to their home countries next week, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu told state news agency Anadolu on Friday.

"PYD[/PKK terror group] releases Daesh [/ISIS] terrorists and we capture them," Suleyman Soylu told an opening ceremony in Turkish capital Ankara.

"We tell Europe that we will send those [Daesh terrorists] back to you, and we hopefully start as of Monday," Soylu said, adding that they are citizens of European countries.

Ankara tells Europe that it will send Daesh/ISIS members back to their own countries, but European countries refuse, saying that Daesh terrorists were denationalized.

"They [European countries] say, we revoked their citizenship so you can do whatever you want [with them]," Soylu added.

"Turkey will extradite them no matter what," he stressed.

Earlier this week, Soylu said Turkey had nearly 1,200 foreign members of Daesh in custody, and had captured 287 during its recent operation in northern Syria.

Turkey has criticised Western countries for refusing to repatriate their citizens who left to join Daesh in Syria and Iraq, and stripping some of them of their citizenship.

It remains unclear whether Turkey will be able to repatriate those who have lost their citizenship.

Although under the New York Convention of 1961, it is illegal to leave someone stateless, several countries, including Britain and France, have not ratified it, and recent cases have triggered prolonged legal battles.

Britain has stripped more than 100 people of their citizenship for allegedly joining Daesh terror groups abroad.

High-profile cases such as teenage Daesh recruit Shamima Begum, and another alleged recruit Jack Letts, have sparked court proceedings and fierce political debate in Britain.