Five Syria-bound ISIS militants detained in Turkish border town
Turkish security forces detained five ISIS members in the border province of Kilis while they were attempting to cross into Syria to join the terrorist organization on Saturday. Dozens of suspects with links to ISIS have been detained in the past month.
According to reports, Turkish police have detained and deported a total of 560 foreigners over the past 16 months in Istanbul alone.
In May 2014, the counterterrorism unit of the Istanbul Police established "interview rooms" in airports, and since then have interviewed over 2,500 passengers suspected of having ties with terrorist organizations.
Some 40 police teams, often dispatched to airports and bus terminals, have received special training in profiling, risk analysis, tracking and interrogation methods. It was reported that the police officers involved in these duties speak other languages such as English, French, German and Arabic.
A total of 23 questions, prepared by experts, are asked during interviews. More than 550 passengers confessed to having intentions to join ISIS and were then deported following these interviews.
A ministry official reportedly said 20,000 people have been banned from crossing the Syrian border in an effort to prevent foreign fighters from entering Syria through Turkey. In late June the official number for those deported by Turkish authorities was 1,350.
Turkey has been doing its part to identify and stop potential foreign fighters seeking to cross the border to Syria to join ISIS despite little cooperation in intelligence sharing with its Western allies. As part of Turkey's efforts, the police force has tightened security at transfer points such as airports, terminals, bus stations and rental car companies. The police have done so by employing a special risk analysis system and a team tasked with tracking suspicious foreigners who travel to Turkey for the first time and minors who have made no hotel reservations.
Regarding accusations that Turkey's border security is subpar, sources said Turkey shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Iraq and Syria, which is difficult to control. Nevertheless, sources say that the Turkish Land Forces Command patrols the land border 24 hours a day with drones and reconnaissance aircraft. Furthermore, it has installed lights on a 270-kilometer stretch of the Syrian border; renewed a 1,210-kilometer patrol route; started digging 363 kilometers of trenches and building 90 kilometers of wire fences, 68 kilometers of embankments and seven kilometers of concrete walls. The sources stated that more than 48,000 border crossings were intercepted, and 175,000 people were caught since 2011.
According to reports, Turkish police have detained and deported a total of 560 foreigners over the past 16 months in Istanbul alone.
In May 2014, the counterterrorism unit of the Istanbul Police established "interview rooms" in airports, and since then have interviewed over 2,500 passengers suspected of having ties with terrorist organizations.
Some 40 police teams, often dispatched to airports and bus terminals, have received special training in profiling, risk analysis, tracking and interrogation methods. It was reported that the police officers involved in these duties speak other languages such as English, French, German and Arabic.
A total of 23 questions, prepared by experts, are asked during interviews. More than 550 passengers confessed to having intentions to join ISIS and were then deported following these interviews.
A ministry official reportedly said 20,000 people have been banned from crossing the Syrian border in an effort to prevent foreign fighters from entering Syria through Turkey. In late June the official number for those deported by Turkish authorities was 1,350.
Turkey has been doing its part to identify and stop potential foreign fighters seeking to cross the border to Syria to join ISIS despite little cooperation in intelligence sharing with its Western allies. As part of Turkey's efforts, the police force has tightened security at transfer points such as airports, terminals, bus stations and rental car companies. The police have done so by employing a special risk analysis system and a team tasked with tracking suspicious foreigners who travel to Turkey for the first time and minors who have made no hotel reservations.
Regarding accusations that Turkey's border security is subpar, sources said Turkey shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Iraq and Syria, which is difficult to control. Nevertheless, sources say that the Turkish Land Forces Command patrols the land border 24 hours a day with drones and reconnaissance aircraft. Furthermore, it has installed lights on a 270-kilometer stretch of the Syrian border; renewed a 1,210-kilometer patrol route; started digging 363 kilometers of trenches and building 90 kilometers of wire fences, 68 kilometers of embankments and seven kilometers of concrete walls. The sources stated that more than 48,000 border crossings were intercepted, and 175,000 people were caught since 2011.
Last Update: October 25, 2015 22:39