BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:20 P.M.) – On Wednesday, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced the arrest of 12 terrorists belonging to the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh), including five Russians, on the border with Syria.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense issued an official statement saying: “On December 31, 2020, 12 terrorist militants were arrested at a checkpoint near the city of Rikhanli in the Turkish province of Hatay.”
The statement added: “The militants tried to enter the country by crossing the Syrian border illegally, and it was found that five of the terrorists have Russian nationality, four from Uzbekistan and three from Kyrgyzstan.”
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In addition, the Turkish security authorities have recently arrested large numbers of ISIS members who have European nationalities during Operation Peace Spring carried out by the Turkish forces last month in the northeastern region of Syria.