Turkey detains over 2,500 ISIL members over three years

Turkey has captured more than 2,627 members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), including 837 foreign nationals, over the past three years, the state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

Having added ISIL to the official list of terrorist organizations in 2013, Turkish security forces have since detained 2,627 suspected ISIL members in anti-terror operations.

Some 632 among the 2,627 detained individuals were subsequently arrested and 120 tons of bomb-making material was seized. More than 100 of the arrested suspects were foreign nationals.

In 2013, 230 ISIL members were detained, 152 of whom were of Turkish nationality.

Turkey has been under pressure to step up security against suspected ISIL militants operating in the country, after initial criticism that it acted too slowly to recognize the threat. 

Following a meeting with Turkish National Police Chief Celalettin Lekesiz, British Ambassador to Turkey Richard Moore took to Twitter to praise bilateral efforts to combat ISIL. "Honor to host DG [Director General] of the Turkish National Police Celalettin Lekesiz for tea. Talked of strong support received from Turkey on foreign fighters and need to continue to work on exchange of information on terrorist threats," Moore stated on his personal Twitter account on Nov. 30. 

He also added that Lekesiz had offered "strong support" in combatting foreign fighters and also exchanging information on terrorist threats.

Moore previously said in an interview with daily Hürriyet on Aug. 10 that Turkey was undertaking important responsibilities in terms of the refugee flow it has received and on halting the flow of foreign fighters bound for Syria.

The U.K. government believed that about 700 U.K....