Turkey Begins Deporting Foreign Jihadists, 2 Handed Over To US, Germany

Turkey on Monday deported three foreign jihadists to their countries of origin with more than 20 Europeans including French and Germans in the process. Turkey’s interior ministry said it had deported an American and a Dane, while Germany confirmed that one of its citizens had also been expelled. Seven more Germans were due for deportation on Thursday, the Turkish ministry said, while 11 French citizens, two Irish and at least two additional Germans were also being processed.

Meanwhile, a Dutch court ruled on Monday that the Netherlands should repatriate the children of women who joined IS, though the mothers themselves need not be brought back. The ruling was a response to 23 Dutch women being held in detention camps in Syria, calling for their return along with their 56 children.

Britain alone has stripped more than 100 people of their citizenship for allegedly joining jihadist groups abroad.

Meanwhile, preparations are underway in the European Union to pay Turkey tens of millions to help bolster its coast guard as increasing numbers of migrants and refugees are leaving Turkey in hopes of finding sanctuary or jobs in Europe.

“We have prepared a set of measures amounting to some 50 million euros ($55 million),” said Maciej Popowski, the deputy director-general for EU enlargement policy.

After well over 1 million migrants entered Europe in 2015 most of them fleeing the war in Syria the EU hurriedly agreed to pay Turkey up to 6 billion euros ($6.7 billion) to stop migrants from leaving the Turkish coast for Greece. Arrivals dropped to a relative trickle after the deal took effect.

Popowski told EU lawmakers that Turkey directly requested more money from EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos during talks in Ankara in early October.

The money would be drawn from a budget meant to prepare Turkey to join the EU and from a separate “peace and stability” fund.

Meanwhile, Turkey has agreed to "pause" its military action in Syria launched on October 9 on the condition that Kurdish forces withdrew from an initial 120-kilometre area from the border, following a deal with US Vice President Mike Pence.