Turkish Embassy Rejects Ankaraˈs Support For IS

Tehran, Sept 7, IRNA – Turkish embassy in Tehran on Saturday sent a message to Iranian news agencies and other media, saying any support for the self-proclaimed Islamic State by Turkey is a lie. In the message, a copy of which was sent to IRNA, the Turkish embassy voiced dissatisfaction with ˈfalse and misleading news and informationˈ published in some Iranian media about Turkeyˈs alleged hosting and support for the terrorists and letting them use the Turkish border for entering Iraq and Syria. The message said those who raise such claims ignore not only the threat of terrorist groups, but also the sacrifices made by the Turkish people and security forces. The message added that Turkey is currently hosting over a million Syrian refugees and helping even a greater number of Iraqi people. During the crisis in Syria and artillery shelling from the country into Turkey, 74 Turkish citizens lost their lives, with 337 others wounded, the message said. The embassy said that Ankara has banned 6,000 people from entering the country and that since 2011, nearly 1,000 people have been expelled from Turkey on suspicion of membership in terrorist groups./end