ISTANBUL: Turkish security forces have detained five Dutch citizens who were trying to cross the border illegally from Turkey into Syria, the Turkish military said in a statement on Sunday.

It was not clear why the five people, stopped on Saturday, were trying to cross the frontier. Thousands of foreigners have joined the ranks of Islamic State and other radical groups in Syria and Iraq, many of them crossing through Turkey.

Turkey has faced criticism for not better controlling its southeastern borders, and has accused European countries of failing to prevent would-be jihadists from travelling in the first place.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2015

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