Turkey has deported 229 foreign terrorists, 75 of whom are EU citizens, since its military operation in Syria in October, an official from the country’s Interior Ministry said on Tuesday, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.
Abdullah Ayaz, the head of Turkey’s migration department, said the campaign to rid the country of foreign terrorists was ongoing, adding that since 2011 Turkey has deported 7,898 terrorists of 102 different nationalities.
He noted that entry bans had been imposed on 94,000 foreigners considered to be affiliated with terrorist organizations.
The foreign terrorists will continue to be repatriated regardless of whether their countries of nationality want them or not, said Ayaz.
He underlined that foreign terrorist fighters were the responsibility of their home countries, citing UN Security Council Resolution 2178, which he said contains agreed-upon measures to block the travel of foreign terrorists and readmit them to their countries of origin.
Some EU officials have announced that they would not accept terrorists in their territories, Ayaz said, adding, “It’s not acceptable for us to allow them to live in our country, either.”