Turkey has deported a total of 8,585 terrorists of 102 nationalities since 2011 as part of the efforts to ensure the country's security within and across the border, the Interior Ministry announced Saturday.
In a statement, the ministry said the terrorists had left their home countries to join the ranks of terrorist groups such as Daesh or PKK and its affiliates.
Some 44 United States nationals and 1,075 European Union member country nationals were deported over the past decade.
As part of Turkey's fight against terrorism, 126 terrorists from 12 EU countries were deported in 2019, followed by 95 terrorists from eight EU countries last year and 61 from eight EU countries in the first 10 months of this year.
Those deported to countries of origin in the last three years are mostly from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Sweden, Romania and the United Kingdom, the statement added.
In 2013, Turkey became one of the first countries to declare Daesh a terrorist group.
Daesh terrorists have carried out multiple attacks against Turkey, including at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bombings and four armed attacks, which have killed 315 people and injured hundreds of others.
In response, Turkey launched military and police operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.
Most recently, at least two people with suspected links to the Daesh terrorist organization were arrested in Turkey.
Counterterrorism police teams in Istanbul launched an operation to nab the suspects considered to be included in groups that want to carry out terror acts on behalf of the Daesh terrorist group across the country.
Two suspects – identified as Diyar K. and Erdal S. – who were reportedly seeking to conduct an armed terrorist attack against places of worship, state institutions and security forces, were caught in the Gaziosmanpaşa district.
Following interrogation at the police station, the suspects were referred to the court and arrested based on a court order.
Turkey has carried out three military campaigns in northern Syria since 2016 and maintains a military presence in the northwestern province of Idlib as well as other areas inside the Syrian border. It is currently conducting operations against the PKK in northern Iraq.
The conflict with the PKK has caused tens of thousands of deaths since the terrorist group launched its armed campaign in southeast Turkey in 1984. The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and most Western states.
