• Tweeter
  • republish

Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has said he is willing to expel foreign jihadists detained in Turkey to their country of origin. Ahmet Bolat / Pool via REUTERS

Turkey announced on Tuesday that it has arrested a sister of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in northern Syria. This announcement comes as Ankara urges Westerners to recover their arrested citizens.

With our correspondent in Istanbul, Anne Andlauer

" We are not a hotel for members of the Islamic State. The formula, signed by Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, is abrupt, but it expresses the weariness of the Ankara authorities in the face of the growing number of foreign jihadists detained in the country.

It also illustrates their resentment of states denouncing Turkey's actions in Syria and accusing it of complicating the fight against the Islamic State group, while refusing to recover their nationals who have joined the ranks of this organization.

Western capitals are worried about the security risks that these returns could create and their unpopularity in public opinion.

Ankara denounces countries such as France, the United Kingdom or the Netherlands, which have removed from their nationality jihadists alleged to avoid having to recover. Turkey judged the process " unacceptable " and promised to send them back to their country " whether they withdraw their nationality or not ".

According to official figures, nearly 1,200 foreigners of the Islamic State group are currently detained in Turkey. Ankara also claims to have captured 287 jihadists and their families as part of its recent offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria.