Prime Minister David Cameron Working With Turkey To Prevent Terrorists From Entering UK

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron
Prime Minister David Cameron wants the U.K. and Turkey to work together to stop the movement of ISIS. |

U.K. leader David Cameron visited Turkey to meet with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to discuss the two countries' efforts to combat extremist groups, The Guardian reported.

The meeting of the two leaders focused on ways to stop terrorists from crossing international borders and entering their countries.

On Britain's part, Cameron noted that the government has taken necessary steps to protect its citizens from terrorism threat. He said that through new laws, government agencies are closely monitoring travelers and citizens who have been to Turkey.

"On the question of what more Turkey and indeed Britain can do to stop this scourge of foreign fighters and defeat this ideology of violence, I believe we are, all of us, taking the steps that we should," Cameron said during the press conference.

"We've passed legislation through our parliament, we are taking people's passports, we are confronting and prosecuting people who have travelled to Turkey," the British Prime Minister added.

Cameron is worried that since members of militant groups such as ISIS can travel freely to Iraq and Syria, they can find a way to cross Turkey's borders and enter the country.

Through the meeting with Davutoglu, Cameron aims to strike a cooperative effort to learn more about the movements of terrorists groups and prevent them from crossing Turkey. Also, the Prime Minister wants to prevent potential supporters from traveling across countries to join ISIS, according to BBC.

"Whether it is about stopping people coming to Turkey to Syria or Iraq to fight for Islamic State, whether it's about making sure we deal with people when they return, whether it is the highest levels of intelligence co-operation that we can possible achieve between our countries, this is all about making sure people are safer in Turkey and making sure people are safer back home in the U.K.," he said.

Davutoglu, on the other hand, took the conference as an opportunity to clarify Turkey's involvement in the movement of ISIS. He said that reports from various foreign news agencies have wrongfully claimed that ISIS forces are traveling across his country.

"Foreign fighters are a threat to the countries that they are coming from or for the neighboring countries," he said. "Turkey has never tolerated their transit through our territory or their existence in Syria."

"In some of the foreign press there is propaganda as if the foreign fighters are passing through Turkey," the prime minister explained. "In no way did any ISIS leader pass through the Turkish border."