Turkey starts returning IS fighters, deports US national

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey says a U.S. national who is a member of the Islamic State group has been deported home as Ankara begins repatriating captured foreign IS fighters.

Interior Ministry’s spokesman Ismail Catakli also said on Monday that seven German nationals would be returned on Nov. 14. There was no immediate information on the IS suspects.

Turkey has over the past weeks criticized European nations for refusing to take back their nationals. It has vowed to send back IS militants — even if their citizenships have been revoked.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has said that Turkey is not a hotel for IS militants and that Ankara would begin repatriating IS militants as of Monday.

Soylu did not provide any numbers or say which countries they would be sent back to.