Turkey Detains Five Dutch Citizens Trying to Illegally Cross Syrian Border

Turkish soldiers detained five Dutch citizens, who were trying to cross to Syria illegally and join the Islamic State (ISIL) militant group.

ANKARA (Sputnik) — Turkish soldiers have detained five Dutch citizens, who were trying to cross to Syria illegally, Hurriyet reported Sunday citing Turkish General Staff statement.

The statement said that the Turkish army detained a total of 97 foreigners, including 92 Syrian citizens, who attempted to cross the Turkey-Syria border.

Turkish troops have also found five hunting rifles buried in the Hatay province, close to the Syrian border.

Earlier in the day, Turkish media reported that the Islamic State (ISIL) militant group has raised its flag in the Syrian village of Kara, some 1,200 feet away from the Turkey’s territory.

Turkey has recently tightened control at its border with Syria amid Islamic State’s advancement close to its borders.

The Islamic State is a jihadist group notorious for its human rights abuses, multiple kidnappings and killings. In 2014, it took vast territories in Iraq and Syria under its control and proclaimed an Islamic caliphate. The group’s affiliates also operate in North Africa, Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The ISIL has been reported to recruit thousands of westerners. The group’s intensive propaganda efforts on social networking websites especially target young people. According to a 2014 public opinion poll conducted in France by ICM Research exclusively for Sputnik News Agency, 26 percent of French youth who participated in the poll expressed some form of support for Islamic State.