GAZIANTEP, Turkey
Seven foreigners and a Turkish citizen were taken into custody on Wednesday, after trying to illegally cross into Syria from southern Turkey, a statement released by Gaziantep's governorship said Friday.
Officials added that the foreign detainees - one from Uzbekistan, two from Tajikistan, and four Russian nationals - were now forbidden to travel outside the country. A night court ordered the arrest of the Turkish citizen.
On Thursday, four other Russian nationals were taken into custody for the same offense. They have been sent to the foreigners’ office, a branch of the Turkish police, for deportation.
Separately, Turkish officials said that nine British citizens and a French citizen were also taken into custody on Wednesday in Turkey’s southern provinces of Hatay and Gaziantep as authorities foiled their alleged attempts to enter Syria illegally to join a militant group.
Turkey shares an 800-kilometer long border with Syria. Turkish officials have repeatedly said that they are cooperating with other countries to stop the flow of foreign fighters into its volatile neighboring countries.
Thousands of foreign fighters from all over the world are believed to have joined terrorist organizations, including Daesh, in Syria and Iraq.
