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Turkey says citizens at risk as IS fighters leave Raqqa

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says a reported deal in which Kurdish-led forces allowed hundreds of jihadis to leave the Syrian city puts Turks in danger.
A flag of Islamic State militants is pictured above a destroyed house near the Clock Square in Raqqa, Syria October 18, 2017. Picture taken October 18, 2017.     REUTERS/Erik De Castro - RC159E696010

Turkey is outraged over a purported pact between US-backed forces in Syria that may have allowed hundreds of Islamic State fighters to leave the city of Raqqa, with Prime Minister Binali Yildirim warning that Turkish citizens and others are now in danger of attacks by the jihadis.

The BBC reported this week that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) negotiated a secret deal to let hundreds of IS fighters leave their former capital last month, with the apparent blessing of US and British coalition members. Local truck drivers were hired to evacuate the fighters and their families, who have now spread through Syria, with some even crossing the border into Turkey, according to the BBC.

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