Turkey nabs 13 people attempting illegal cross bordering

By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish border security forces held a total of 13 people, who were illegally trying to pass through borders from Turkey to Greece and from Syria to Turkey, the country's National Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

"Two of them were found to be members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), and two Daesh/ISIS terrorist group members," the ministry said on Twitter.

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

Ankara 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.

In 2013, Turkey became one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terrorist group.

The country has since been attacked by the terror group multiple times, with over 300 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks, and four armed assaults.

In response, Turkey launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.