ANKARA

Turkey deported two foreign terrorist fighters back to their countries, Morocco and Germany, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday. 

In a statement, the ministry said the Moroccan and German nationals were sent back their countries of origin as part of Turkey’s ramped-up efforts to repatriate foreign terrorist fighters.

The statement did not specify which terror group the fighters belonged to, but in recent months it has been stressing the return of Daesh/ISIS terrorists.

Turkey continues to deport foreign terrorist fighters, the statement added.

The issue of the handling of Daesh/ISIS members and their families detained in Syria -- including foreign members of the terror group -- has been controversial, with Turkey arguing foreign-born terrorists should be returned to their countries of origin.

Ankara has said several European countries resisted its efforts to send Daesh/ISIS members back to their countries, but that it will nevertheless press forward.

Turkey has so far deported 7,500 Daesh/ISIS members, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said early December, adding that there are currently 1,149 Daesh/ISIS terrorists in Turkish prisons.