Turkey: U.S. to take man labeled a ‘terrorist’

ISTANBUL — An American citizen accused by Turkey of belonging to the Islamic State militant group will be repatriated after Ankara received confirmation that he will be accepted by the United States, Turkey’s state-run news agency said Thursday.

Turkey’s Interior Ministry has not identified the man, referring to him only as a “foreign terrorist,” without citing any specific accusations. Turkish media outlets have identified him as a 39-yearold American of Jordanian heritage.

The man has been stuck at the border between Greece and Turkey since Monday, after the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attempted to deport him to Greece. Erdogan has vowed to start repatriating hundreds of foreign militants held in Turkish custody, in a process that began this week with the deportation of the man along with several European citizens.

“We are aware of reports regarding a U.S. citizen located between the border of Greece and Turkey and are monitoring these reports closely,” the State Department said Thursday in an emailed statement. “Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment. In general, consular personnel seek to provide all appropriate consular assistance to ensure the individual’s safety and welfare.”

Separately, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that European and other members of the international coalition fighting the Islamic State group must take back and prosecute their citizens detained in Iraq and Syria to help keep the Islamic State from regaining territory.

Pompeo told foreign ministers and senior officials from some 30 coalition members at a meeting that it’s imperative that they hold thousands of detained foreign fighters accountable for atrocities committed while the Islamic State held large areas of territory in the two countries. Many of the detained foreign fighters are from Europe, but countries have been reluctant to take them back and officials acknowledged there are still differences of opinion among coalition partners about how best to deal with them.

Pompeo said bringing the foreign fighters to justice in their home countries is critical to preventing the Islamic State group from resurrecting its caliphate and exporting its ideology.

“That work begins with carrying out justice against those who deserve it,” he said. “Coalition members must take back the thousands of foreign terrorist fighters in custody and impose accountability for the atrocities they have perpetrated.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said coalition members need “more coordinated efforts” to resolve the issue of foreign fighters and must also train more local forces to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State

“If you can enable local forces to fight terrorism themselves, to stabilize the country, … that’s in the long run the best way to also fight terrorism,” he said after the meeting.

Also Thursday, Erdogan said Turkey is willing to purchase U.S.-made Patriot air-defense systems but will not agree to dispose of the Russian S-400 system it has already bought.

Speaking to reporters on board his plane on his way back from a meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington, Erdogan said Trump was engaged in “sincere efforts” to resolve disputes between the

NATO allies.

Turkey took delivery of the Russian S-400 system this year, dismissing warnings from the United States that it poses a threat to NATO security.

As a result, Washington suspended Turkish participation in the multinational F-35 fighter jet program.

“We told them we can purchase the Patriots, too. We regard the proposal to completely remove the S-400s [from Turkey] as meddling in our sovereign rights,” the staterun Anadolu Agency quoted Erdogan as saying. “There can be no question of us leaving the S-400s and turning toward the Patriots.”

Erdogan said: “I want both America and Russia to be my friend. All our efforts are geared toward that.”