Turkish-backed Syrian rebel fighters head to an area near the Syrian-Turkish border north of Aleppo on Tuesday. US forces in northern Syria start pulling back from areas along the Turkish border ahead of a feared military invasion by Ankara that Kurdish forces say would spark a jihadist resurgence. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said in a statement that "US forces withdrew from the border areas with Turkey" in northeast Syria. Photo: AFP

 
Turkey said Monday it had begun sending back foreign jihadists to their countries of origin, with an American already expelled and more than 20 Europeans in the process of deportation. 

A "foreign terrorist fighter" from the US was deported early on Monday, with two more - from Germany and Denmark - due to be expelled later 

in the day, Turkish Interior Ministry spokesman Ismail Catakli told state news agency Anadolu. 

Seven more Germans were due for deportation on Thursday, he added, while 11 French citizens, two Irish and at least two additional Germans were also being processed. 

Turkey has criticized Western countries for refusing to repatriate their citizens who left to join the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria and Iraq, and stripping some of them of their citizenship. 

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said last week that Turkey had nearly 1,200 foreign ­members of IS in custody, and had captured 287 during its recent operation in northern Syria.

"There is no need to try to escape from it, we will send them back to you. Deal with them how you want," Soylu said Friday.

Turkey has frequently sent back captured jihadists in recent years, but has lately increased pressure on Europe to take responsibility for the problem. 

It remains unclear, however, whether Turkey will be able to repatriate those who have lost their citizenship.