Russia is the largest supplier of foreign fighters to terrorist groups in Syria. The Turkish security authority says it has deported 519 Russian citizens attempting to reach Syria to join terror groups like Daesh and al-Nusra Front.
Since the beginning of the civil war in Syria, Turkey has detained thousands of foreign fighters headed to Syria.
Foreign fighters from 57 countries, mostly Western nations, have been detained at Turkey's air, land and naval border gates as well as at the Turkish-Syrian border.
Turkish security sources said at least 1,105 foreigners from 57 countries have been detained for either their links with terror groups in Syria or intention to join these groups by crossing the Turkey-Syria border illegally.
Nearly half of the total detainees were Russian citizens, the sources said.
Of the countries with the highest numbers of foreign fighters, Russia is followed by France with 192, and China with 103 people. The figure shows foreign fighters from the UK, Germany, Belgium, the US, Netherlands, Australia, Austria, Denmark and other countries have also been deported, as some Middle Eastern and Asian citizens were also detained during the period.
In recent months, Turkey increased its border control to prevent foreign fighters' entry into Syria but the figure shows countries like Russia and China, who are the largest supporters of Assad, are the largest providers of foreign fighters to the terror groups.
Moreover, Western countries, including the superpowers, also don't take enough measures to stop supplying foreign fighters into Syria.
In the past 5 years, Turkey has also imposed a travel ban on 35,970 foreigners to prevent them from joining terror groups in Syria.
