Turkey Vows to Send ISIS Members Back Home Even if Citizenship is Revoked
Turkey will send captured ISIS members back to their
countries even if their citizenships have been revoked, Interior Minister
Suleyman Soylu said on Monday, criticizing the approach of European countries
on the issue.
Speaking to reporters, he said: “We will send back
those in our hands, but the world has come up with a new method now: revoking
their citizenships.”
“They are saying they should be tried where they
have been caught. This is a new form of international law, I guess.”
“It is not possible to accept this. We will send
back ISIS members in our hands to their own countries whether they revoke their
citizenships or not,” he said.
Turkey launched an offensive into northeastern Syria
against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) last month following a
decision by US President Donald Trump to withdraw troops from the region. The
move prompted widespread concern over the fate of ISIS prisoners in the region.
The YPG is the main element of the Syrian Democratic
Forces (SDF), which has been a leading US ally in beating back ISIS in the
region, and has kept thousands of extremists in jails across northeastern
Syria. The United States and Turkey’s Western allies have said Ankara’s
offensive could hinder the fight against ISIS and aid its resurgence.
Turkey, which views the YPG as a terrorist group
linked with insurgent Kurdish militants on its own soil, has rejected those
concerns and vowed to combat ISIS with its allies. It has repeatedly called on
European countries to take back their citizens fighting for the extremists.
Soylu had warned at the weekend that Turkey would
send back ISIS members captured by Turkey to their home countries and
complained of European inaction on the matter.
The United States said last month that it had killed
ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in northwestern Syria, where Turkey and Russia
have troops. While Baghdadi’s death was hailed by world leaders, including
Turkey, the group has vowed revenge against the United States.
