Ankara, Feb 1 () - The number of suspected Islamic State (IS) members detained by security forces in Turkey almost doubled in the second half of 2015, with a total of 1,139 detained over the course of the year, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement.
Statistics showed that there was an increase of 90 percent in the number of IS suspects detained over the last five months of 2015, compared to the first seven months of the year.
Some 643 IS suspects were detained as they attempted to cross into Turkey, while 496 others were seized while trying to enter Syria from Turkey in 2015. One other was detained elsewhere.
The army said illegal border crossings mainly took place in the southeastern border province of Kilis, which has been a key transit point for militants trying to cross into Syria.
On Jan. 12, Saudi-born Syrian national Nabil Fadli conducted a suicide attack against a German tour group in the vicinity of the Hippodrome in the historic Istanbul area of Sultahahmet. The attack marked IS’ fourth on targets in Turkey after attacks last year in Diyarbakır, Suruç and Ankara.
