Ankara, April 8 (IANS/AKI) Turkish security forces on Wednesday said 15 Chinese nationals were among dozens of people arrested as they sought to enter Syria and join the Islamic State terrorist group, Turkish daily Milliyet reported.
Fifteen Syrians were among those arrested in Gaziantep province in south-central Turkey. Over 30 foreigners aiming to join IS were arrested in the past two weeks, Milliyet said.
The foreigners also include Swiss citizens, Kosovans, Tajiks and Russians, the paper quoted officials in Gaziantep as saying.
Nearly 300 Syrians, two Iraqis and a Turkish citizen were also arrested as they tried to enter Turkey from Syria, Turkish media cited Turkish security forces as saying in a statement.
Militants aiming to join IS in Syria commonly seek to enter the country by crossing the 800-km long border the country shares with Turkey.
--IANS/AKI
ab/dg
