As of Dec. 1, 2015, approximately 1,200 individuals have been detained due to suspected ties to DAESH. Turkish courts have arrested and imprisoned more than 360 people on grounds of DAESH membership according to information obtained from the Interior Ministry. Turkey recognized DAESH as a terrorist organization on Oct. 10, 2013 and has long been an active member of the international coalition fighting the terrorist organization. Moreover, the country has been co-chairing the "Foreign Terrorist Fighters Working Group" together with the Netherlands since March 2015.
Meanwhile, ministry sources indicated that police have seized more than 33 suicide vests, 300 kilograms of TNT explosives, 2,700 kilograms of chemical substances used to manufacture explosives, dozens of long barrel rifles, handguns, shotguns, grenades, bomb setups and thousands of bullets during operations carried out against the terror organization.
In order to prevent foreign terrorist fighters from entering Turkey, the Turkish National Police Intelligence Service, Counter-Terrorism and Smuggling units have set up "Risk Analysis Centers" at airports and bus stations across the country. As a result of these efforts, 27,000 people from 110 countries have been banned from entering the country. Around 50 percent of the individuals on the list are from North Africa and the Middle East, while 26 percent are from North America and Western Europe and 24 percent are from Eastern Europe and Asia.
Sources also indicated that as of November 2015, around 1,300 Turkish citizens have joined DAESH. However, it is important to note that Turkey, which has a Muslim population of around 78 million and shares a 1,300-kilometer land border with Syria and Iraq, is not even among the top 10 source countries of DAESH recruits.
