Turkey Deports 11 French Nationals Linked to Jihadist Groups

"The expulsion of foreign terrorist fighters continues. In this context, eleven French nationals have been deported," the Turkish Interior Ministry said in a statement.

These expulsions took place on Monday, December 9, according to a source at the ministry. A source in the case in Paris had told AFP that the French jihadists who would be expelled by Turkey were "mostly women".

Before mid-November, a spokesman for the Turkish Interior Ministry had announced the return of French jihadists affiliated with ISIS to their country. Meanwhile, Turkey had already carried out its threat to expel foreign jihadists detained on its territory.

In addition, the decision to take action against French nationals is in line with a 2014 police cooperation agreement between Paris and Ankara. This agreement stipulates that French nationals who return from Syria via Turkey be immediately intercepted on their return and then sent back to France.