Belgian minister praises Turkey's effort in Daesh fight

By Serife Cetin

BRUSSELS (AA) - Belgian interior minister said Tuesday that Turkey is an important partner in the battle against Daesh.

"We can criticize Turkey, but we must bear in mind that Turkey is an important partner in the fight against Daesh," Jan Jambon told state television RTBF.

"In Turkey, many foreign terrorists affiliated to the Daesh are being captured and imprisoned," he said.

Jambon said he is concerned that the terrorists, after being cornered in Syria and Iraq, will go back to Europe and carry out attacks.

He added that security officials in European states are in close cooperation with each other via Interpol and Europol to identify the fighters.

The EU’s anti-terror chief Gilles de Kerchove, last month, also praised Turkey’s strict controls on its border with Syria, and said that contrary to widespread fears, the Mosul operation in Iraq did not lead to a large number of Daesh militants returning to Europe.

“By now Turkey has controlled its borders in a very good way, and it is no longer easy for anyone to travel from crisis regions to Europe,” he told German daily Die Welt.

In July, the Iraqi army -- with U.S. coalition air support -- recaptured Mosul from Daesh following a nine-month campaign that featured frequent bombardments of residential parts of the city.

In Raqqah, the U.S.-led coalition launched a military campaign early June aimed at retaking the city, the capital of Daesh’s self-proclaimed “caliphate”.