16 Indonesians bound for IS held

Sixteen Indonesians, mostly women and children, have been arrested in Turkey attempting to cross into Syria to join the Islamic State group, a minister said, the latest case of Indonesians heading to battlegrounds in the Middle East.

The 11 children, four women and one man from the world's most populous Muslim-majority country were detained in the Turkish border town of Gaziantep. Officials did not say when they were arrested.

"We are still investigating... but it is clear that they wanted to join (IS) to have a better life in accordance with Islamic sharia laws," Security Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno told reporters late Thursday.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that a team was being dispatched to Turkey to work with authorities after the arrests.

Officials had previously revealed that a different group of 16 Indonesians went missing last month after joining a tour group to Turkey, and were also believed to be attempting to reach Syria.

Source: Bangkok post