12 terror suspects nabbed on Turkey’s borders

By Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) - At least 12 terror suspects were arrested in Turkey while trying to illegally cross the country’s borders with Syria and Greece, the National Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

The suspects included eight members of Daesh/ISIS, three of YPG/PKK and one member of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.

Turkey was one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terror group.

The country has since been attacked by its terrorists multiple times. The organization has carried out at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks, and four armed attacks, killing 315 people and injuring hundreds more.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey, which left 251 people dead and 2,734 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.