Turkey has, since January, deported 1,112 foreign fighters who were trying to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz said Thursday Anadolu Agency reported
Yilmaz spoke at a meeting in Washington that focused on the evolving foreign terrorist fighter threat, which took place on the sidelines of a White House summit on countering violent extremism.
Yilmaz said that 27 percent of those who are on Turkey's "no entry list" are from European and North American countries, while 46 percent are from North Africa and the Middle East and 23 percent are from other regions.
"When we receive timely and actionable intelligence, we are able to stop or deport them," Yilmaz said. "Foreign fighters are our common enemy."
Three suspected terrorists who were traveling illegally through Turkey in March 2014 killed three security personnel and one civilian, while injuring others. Also, a female foreign terrorist carried out a suicide attack in Istanbul and killed one police officer in January.
According to the United Nations, more than 13,000 fighters from more than 80 countries have joined ISIL and other militant groups in Syria and Iraq.
Washington is working on a collective effort to challenge this dangerous menace that threatens global peace and stability, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday during the summit.
Participants included Albania, Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Singapore, the U.K. and other countries.