Turkey has barred the entrance of thousands of people from the former Soviet Union whom it suspects of having ties to Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq.
In a report published on the Turkish Interior Ministry's website, Turkey said that the former Soviet republics Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, as well as Russia, are among the 10 nations with the highest number of people who have been barred from entering Turkey because of their ties to IS and fears they are seeking to use it to cross into conflict zones to fight for the group.
Some 4,128 Russian citizens, 2,651 Tajiks, 1,914 Kazakhs, and 1,677 Azerbaijanis were on the no-entry list, which was led by Saudi Arabia with 7,523 citizens and Tunisia with 4,605 citizens.
Officials in Russia and other former Soviet republics have said that thousands of former Soviet men and women are fighting alongside IS and other extremist groups in Syria and Iraq.