As the Islamic State (IS) has lost territory in Syria and Iraq, and as efforts are being made to separate radical elements from moderate Sunni opposition groups in and around Idlib, the violent Salafist-jihadi networks are migrating to Turkey.

According to the Turkish General Staff’s official website, 8,474 people who tried to cross the border from Syria to Turkey illegally were caught in December, whereas security forces caught only 71 people trying to go the opposite way. This fact strongly suggests Turkey is becoming either a way station or final destination for violent Salafist-jihadi networks in 2018, even though Turkish security forces were very tough on them in 2017.

According to a security source who talked to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, in 2017 there was about a 30% increase in the number of foreigners captured trying to enter Turkey illegally from Syria compared with 2016. In 2017 there was a 35% increase, in comparison with 2016, in foreigners detained during counterterror operations in Turkey.

Since the March 2014 Nigde attack, the very first armed confrontation between the Turkish state and IS, Turkey has been particularly hard hit by IS-linked networks. As of July 2017, there had been 14 major terror attacks, in which 155 people were killed and 763 were wounded.