By Ainur Romah
JAKARTA
Indonesia has said that it expects 12 of its citizens being held in Turkey on suspicion of trying to join Daesh in Syria to be repatriated in the next 2-3 days.
The head of the country's intelligence agency, Marciano Norman, told reporters Sunday that another four Indonesians will remain in Turkish custody as they are pregnant.
"The deportation will be done after they give birth," Marciano told reporters at Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport in Jakarta, as quoted by Kompas.com.
"They will only leave [Turkey] when the child is of a suitable age to be transported by plane," he added.
On March 4, Turkey notified Indonesia that it had arrested and detained 16 Indonesians - one man, four women and 11 children - in the Turkish border city of Gaziantep - 97 kilometers north of Aleppo, Syria.
News of their detention had sparked speculation that they were the 16 members of an Indonesian tour party who went missing after entering Turkey at the end of February.
However, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said last week that the tour group had yet to be located, meaning 32 Indonesians had either been arrested, were missing, or went missing in Turkey.
Indonesia police have said they suspect that the women in the party were attempting to get into Syria to be united with their husbands.
Also Sunday, the deputy chief of Indonesia's the National Police, Commissioner General Badrodin Haiti, said national police were holding four Daesh supporters in Indonesia for attempting to recruit followers.
He added that they were raising funds and disseminating Daesh propaganda.
Badrodin said they would be charged under Indonesia's Terrorism Act.
