500 Turkish citizens fight alongside al Qaeda-linked groups in Syria

PanARMENIAN.Net - A recent report published by the Turkish Interior Ministry says around 500 Turkish citizens have gone to Syria to fight alongside the al Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front against President Bashar al-Assad's forces, adding that among these 500, some have received training in al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

According to Today’s Zaman, the report, based on information and data obtained from the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and the National Police Department, says more than 500 Turkish citizens have joined the ranks of al-Nusra and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and that many Turkish citizens have died during clashes between the rebels and Assad's forces. Official data shows that 13 Turkish fighters with al-Nusra have been killed during the clashes.

The report adds that around 75 other Turkish citizens, whose names were not recorded, have also been killed in the Syrian conflict.

Meanwhile, a delegation from the National Police Department recently met with Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) to discuss the al Qaeda issue. According to media sources, the Turkish side told the Germans: "Why do you allow individuals that you don't want Turkey to allow entry to leave your country? You should forbid those individuals from leaving your country."

According to the report, there are around 3,000 foreigners among those individuals who are banned from entering Turkey. Among them are citizens of Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Pakistan.

As the conflict in Syria continues and as Assad's forces, with the backing of Iran and Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah, make gains on the Syrian battlefield, al Qaeda and other jihadist groups, which were not key players in Syria initially, have started to entrench their influence in the country.

Now these groups, which pose a serious threat to the entire region, have started to play an increasingly prominent role in the power vacuum, aiming to transform Syria into a proxy battlefield between diverse groups.