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Turkey deports 9 British nationals detained on Syrian border

Xinhua, April 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Turkish authorities have deported nine British nationals who were arrested in southern Turkey while trying to cross into Syria, private Dogan News Agency reported on Tuesday.

One of the detained, Waheed Ahmed, aged 22, was the son of Britain's Rochdale Labor councilor Shakil Ahmed, according to the report.

Waheed Ahmed was deported on Monday, while eight others were transferred from southern Hatay province to Mediterranean city of Antalya for deportation and were put on another flight back to Britain on Tuesday, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.

The British group, including three men, two women and four children aged one to 11, was detained on April 1 in Hatay province near border with Syria.

Turkey has become a transit route into Syria for thousands of foreigners who want to join the ranks of radical groups such as the Islamic State (IS).

Turkey issued a travel ban on more than 12,500 foreign fighters and deported 1,200 who aim to join the IS in Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday.

Turkey has beefed up security measures to prevent foreign fighters from crossing into Syria through Turkish territory amid Western countries' criticism that Ankara did not make its best to stem foreign fighters from joining ranks of the IS in Syria.

Turkish authorities increasingly announce cases of deportation of foreign fighters, who attempt to cross into Syria through Turkey.

Most recently, Turkish police detained four Russian nationals trying to illegally enter Syria on April 2, local media reported. Endit