Turkey begins returning Western Isil members to US and Europe
Turkey’s effort to deport foreign Islamic State (Isil) suspects descended into chaos on Monday after officials tried to send an alleged American jihadist to Greece only for the Greek government to refuse to take him.
The Turkish interior ministry deposited the unnamed man at the Greek border but he was left standing in no man’s land between the two countries’ border stations after Greece refused to allow him in.
Turkey is believed to have grudgingly taken the man back into custody.
“In order for someone to cross a border control point, they have to carry the necessary documents,” a Greek police source told The Telegraph. “This man didn’t have the necessary documents, and thus, he was not allowed to enter the country.”
The confusion at the Greek border came as Turkey promised it would start sending European jihadists back to their own countries as part of its drive to deport more than a thousand foreign Isil members in its custody.
The Turkish interior ministry refused to say whether it plans to send back British Isil suspects but Turkey has complained in the past that the UK has refused to repatriate its citizens.
Ismail Catakli, a spokesman for the interior ministry, said seven Germans would be deported on Thursday and that proceedings were underway to deport 11 French citizens captured in Syria.
He also said foreign fighters from Ireland, Germany and Denmark were being prepared for deportation.
Suleyman Soylu, Turkey’s interior minister, said last week that his country was holding around 1,200 foreign Isil members. Around 287 foreign Isil members have been captured by Turkey in Syria since the start of October, he said.
Among them is Tooba Gondal, a 25-year-old from London who allegedly acted as an Isil “matchmaker” by convincing other British women to follow her to Syria.
Ms Gondal was born in France but moved to London as a child and had British residency. However, the UK government is reluctant to bring her back to the UK.
She was banned from re-entering the UK last November by a Home Office exclusion order, but her son Ibrahim, three, is entitled to citizenship because of his British father.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi | read more
If Turkey does attempt to send Ms Gondal back to the UK it could provoke a legal and diplomatic crisis between Ankara and London.
Other British Isil suspects may have been taken into Turkish custody earlier if they were intercepted in Turkey while trying to travel to Syria to join the so-called caliphate.
Mr Soylu, the Turkish interior minister, told Britain and other European governments that Turkey was “not a hotel” for foreign jihadists and vowed to send them home.
“When there is a Daesh member, they cancel his or her citizenship, making the person stateless. Then, they take no responsibility,” Mr Soylu said. "That is not acceptable to us. It’s also irresponsible.”
Click Here: cheap Cowboys jersey