Turkish Professor Appeals to Authorities After his Three Sons Join ISIL

A Turkish professor has reportedly turned to his country's government for help after his three teenage sons joined the Islamic State militants

A dentistry professor at an Ankara university has appealed to the Turkish authorities after his three teenage sons decided to fight alongside Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, according to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet.

Identified only as Dr. M. Sefik I., the professor urged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and the National Intelligence Agency to try to bring his sons back to Turkey.

According to Hurriyet, the professor's oldest son sent his parents a message asking them to pray for him before he left Turkish territory for Syria on March 10. 

Shortly after, he helped his 16-year-old twin brothers to cross the Turkish border in order to enter Syria, from where the three reportedly went to Iraq.

"We taught them to be human beings. We do not know how they arrived at that stage," the professor said, referring to his sons' decision to join the jihadist group.

Hurriyet mentioned more than 2,300 Turks who are believed to have already joined the Islamic State, which managed to seize large areas in Syria and Iraq last year.

Meanwhile, at least 680 Turkish families have reported that their children have run off to join the ranks of the Islamic State, according to the newspaper.