Turkey is not a hotel for ISIS members of other countries: Interior Minister

Duvar English

Turkey is not a hotel for ISIS members of others, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has said, adding that the country will send the jihadists back to their own countries.

The minister also slammed the countries for stripping ISIS militants of their citizenship in order not to take them back, while saying that the Netherlands is not the only country that chose this method.

The Netherlands revoked the citizenship of one of the ISIS members apprehended in Ankara.

"Britain does this as well. Everyone found out the easy way. They strip ISIS members of their citizenship and make them stateless. Then, they don't take responsibility," Soylu told reporters on Nov. 2, adding that the issue needs to be discussed all over the world in the upcoming days.

Saying that foreign ISIS militants will be kept in prisons in Turkish-controlled areas in northern Syria for a while before being extradited, Soylu noted that some of the militants caught in Ras al-Ayn and Tal Abyad are foreigners.

The minister also said that there are agreements regarding the extradition of these militants between Turkey and other countries.

"Saying, 'I revoked their citizenship, you deal with this' is not acceptable for us. This is being irresponsible. What can I do with your terrorists? Where and how should I keep them?" he asked.

"Let's assume that I hold them in a prison for a while. Should I grant your terrorists citizenship when he leaves prison?" the minister added.